


Wrapped Around My Finger

by hunter_king



Series: Supernatural - J2 [22]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe, Bottom Jared Padalecki, Dubious Consent, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Slash, Swearing, Top Jensen Ackles, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-29 01:29:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 71,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16734453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunter_king/pseuds/hunter_king
Summary: Jared Padalecki will do anything to prevent his aged father from being imprisoned. But the only man who can help him is the rich, notorious Texas businessman Jensen, who stole Jared's virginity and broke his heart three years ago. Jensen Ackles could drop all charges against Jared’s father with a snap of his arrogant fingers – but he sees an opportunity to have Jared in his bed one more time. This time though, he’ll make sure that Jared stays onhisterms.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt Fill for Imogen_lily  
> Written for the Prompt Fest at abused_sammy in January 2011  
> Beta'd by Imogen_lily  
> Art by Imogen_lily (can't find the link...sorry)

“What?” Jared asked softly as he shook his head. “N-No, that’s impossible. My father would never do something like that, Chad. He takes his work very seriously. And he doesn’t even have the means to start up his own business, let alone get customers from Ackles Incorporated to come join him in his own firm.”  
   
Frowning, Chad nodded. “I believe you Jared, I do,” he assured him. “But Mr. Ackles is insisting that he caught your father in the act. And on top of that, he’s claiming that your father attacked his secretary and put her in the hospital for a few days. Now, I don’t have any evidence that it was Gerald, but I do have the records from the hospital that clearly state Miss Alona Tal was in the hospital with a broken arm and a severe laceration to her forehead.”  
   
Of course, he didn’t believe a word of it. He and Jared had been friends since they were twelve years old and Gerald was like a second father to him. There was no way in Hell Gerald would ever hurt anyone unless there was a good reason, like protecting his family. And even then, it wouldn’t have been a woman who was maybe half his size, if that. Something was going on here, but as a police officer, it was his job to take Gerald in.  
   
Eyes widening, Jared repeated, “What?! Oh Chad, come on that’s ridiculous and you know it! My dad would never hurt Alona. She’s like a daughter to him! He helped her study through college! Alan is lying, and you know it! He probably beat Alona up and threatened her job if she didn’t blame my father!”  
   
Chad frowned once more when Jared spoke. “Jared!” he snapped. “Don’t make accusations unless you have the means to back it up. That’s slander and if anyone heard you, they could make me throw your ass in jail, too. Now, I’m sorry for this, but I’m going to have to ask you to move out of the way so I can do my job. I need to take your father down to the station.”   
   
When Jared still didn’t move, just stood there shaking his head, Chad sighed once more before he started to push through the doorway. It sucked that he had to do this, and he really didn’t believe a word Alan Ackles was saying, but it was his job as a police officer to investigate this, so he was doing so. Jared would forgive him eventually, he was sure.  
   
With tears in his eyes, Jared followed after Chad. “Please Chad, don’t do this,” he begged. “You know my dad won’t last a day in jail. He needs access to his medication at all times and he won’t be able to get it in there, please?!”  
   
Slowly, Chad came to a stop, the realization about what he was doing hitting him hard, almost knocking the wind out of him. Sighing, he turned towards Jared, his absolute sadness for doing this clear on his face. “I’ll make sure he gets his medication Jared, I promise. I won’t let anything happen to your dad as long as he’s in our custody. And trust me, he’s going to get out of this. Anyone who knows Gerald will know this is a scam and you’ll have him home in a few days.”  
   
He lay his hand on Jared’s shoulder before he added, “You’re sister’s in there with him. I don’t think she needs to see this, do you? Why don’t you take her upstairs and then meet me at the station? I’ll go over everything with you down there. And you might want to get a lawyer. Unfortunately, you’re probably going to need one.”  
   
A tear silently made its way down Jared’s cheek before he brushed it away, nodding. “Okay. I’ll be right behind you.” With that, Jared walked into the living room where his father and sister were playing a game of Scrabble. It was rare that Megan ever really got to do much with her father; he’d gotten sick when Jared was very young and it had been Jared who essentially raised his little sister. But those times when Megan got a chance with her father were some of the brightest times in her life.  
   
Once Jared reached his sister, he could tell by the look his father was giving him that Gerald already knew what was going on. The older male had been on the phone practically all morning arguing with the temp who took over for Alona about why he wasn’t allowed to come into work today. Finally, Alan had gotten on the phone and explained everything to him, and Gerald had been waiting for this moment ever since.   
   
“Hey Megan, why don’t we leave Dad alone for a little while, all right?” Jared asked with a small, fake smile. “Chad’s in the other room and he wants to have a few minutes alone with Dad. I think I heard him mention something about a big summer party that he wants to throw and invite us to. But it’s a secret, so don’t tell him I told you, all right?”  
   
Megan’s eyes widened marginally when Jared mentioned a summer party. “Oh my God, are you serious?! I’ve been hinting at something like this since last summer! Do you really think he took me up on the idea?” Smiling, Megan stood before she ran over to her dad and gave him a hug. “If he says anything about needing help, tell him Sandy, Sophia and I are all available any day of the week after five!”  
   
With that, Megan was out of the room and up the stairs, the door to her bedroom closing soon after she reached the top of the staircase. She had this new bikini that she just bought a few days ago and she wanted to try it on before she wore it anywhere. And she needed to call Sophia and Sandy to tell them the good news, as well.  
   
As soon as Megan was gone, Chad walked into the room, his frown still plastered on his face. “I’m going to have to take you in now, Gerald. I told Jared the same thing I’m telling you; there’s nothing to worry about here. I’ll be there with you the whole time and I’m going to make sure you can get your medication whenever you need it, and you won’t be there long. This is just standard procedure, but everyone will know you’re innocent. And I’m going to take great pleasure in letting you out of these cuffs.”  
   
Nodding, Gerald gave chad a small smile as he stood, placing his hands behind his back. Chad then recited, “Gerald, you’re under arrest for the assault and battery of Alona Tal. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be provided to you.”  
   
Jared couldn’t stay in the room any longer. He quickly raced up the stairs and into his own room, grabbing his car keys and his jacket. “I’ll be back Megs!” he called as he ran down the stairs. “I have to go meet Misha down town for a few hours. Don’t wreck the house!”  
   
**~~**  
   
As he looked at the face of the judge, he frowned. In all his years of defending, he had never seen a judge that was so hard to read. This was going to be a close case, Jim knew; and quite honestly, he didn’t have much faith in winning. No one ever won against the Ackles because they had such a large influence over the town.  
   
“There will be a brief recess before we come back and finish this hearing,” the judge announced, swinging his gavel before he stood and walked out. The hearing had been going on now for two hours and Jared knew it wasn’t looking good. Nevertheless, he had to have hope, right? Anything could happen in the next few hours.  
   
He slowly made his way outside, needing some air after being cooped up in that room all day not knowing what was going to happen. Megan was mad at both him and Chad for not telling her what was going on, and Jared was at the end of his rope for the most part. If his father was convicted, he didn’t know what he would do. Of course, this was just a bail hearing, but Jared knew he had to be prepared for anything.  
   
Suddenly, he felt the weight of everything just come crashing down on him and tears welled up in his eyes, forcing him to sit down so he could gather himself. He couldn’t cry here. Not now. He needed to be strong for Megan and his father. But it was just so hard sometimes. Jeff was caught up in Prague where he had been studying for school, and quite honestly, Jared didn’t think he would have come back even if he could. They didn’t really get along anymore, so Jeff stayed away as much as possible to avoid a huge fight. It only upset his father.  
   
And his mother had died in a car accident the night his father was diagnosed with this terrible heart condition, which left Jared here to be the caretaker; to keep everything in line and make sure nothing bad happened to the family. So far, he was doing a terrible job.  
   
A hand on his shoulder caused Jared to jump slightly. His eyes moved from the hand to the owner of said hand’s face, eyes widening when he saw how was standing there. “J-Jensen?” Jared gasped, quickly pushing to his feet and putting distance between the two of them. “What are you doing here?”  
   
“Um…my family’s here,” Jensen answered with a smile. “I heard about what happened to your dad. Tough break huh?” sighing he took a seat where Jared had vacated moments earlier. “What do you think the judge is going to say?”  
   
Sighing, Jared shrugged. “I have no idea. But you know he didn’t do this, Jensen. You have to know that.” He had no idea why he wasn’t telling Jensen to pound salt right now, not very fond of the youngest Ackles boy. A few years ago, on Jared’s eighteenth birthday, he and Jensen had been at the same party; one that Jensen’s best friend Christian Kane had thrown. Like at any teenage party where there were no adults present, alcohol was a big part of the fun. Jared had been a freshman to Harvard University that year and he wanted to meet people and possibly make some friends before it got too far into the semester.   
   
After a few hours of mingling, he had met Jensen Ackles, a pretty boy senior who seemed to be very confident that Jared had potential to be one of the greatest students that had ever come through Harvard’s doors. Back then, Jared had been naïve and he believed Jensen was telling him the truth and wasn’t just trying to seduce him. He’d heard stories of Jensen’s conquests, but who the hell would have ever thought a gorgeous senior like Jensen would have been gay, for one; and two, into a freshman with floppy hair and absolutely nothing to give him.  
   
They got to talking a few minutes after their initial meeting, which was when Jensen started to hand Jared drinks. Of course, Jensen was drinking too, so Jared figured it was what he had to do in order to keep the conversation alive. But Jared had never had a drink before in his life, always too worried about being the good son and the role model for his little sister, so he was a little nervous about it, promising himself that he was only going to have one.  
   
Soon, one beer turned into two and then three, resulting in a very drunk Jared. He didn’t remember much about the rest of that night, but he did remember the morning after. His head had felt like he’d just been hit by a semi and he woke up naked in a bed next to Jensen, who was also naked. Of course, Jared jumped to the obvious conclusion – they’d had sex – and quickly jumped out of the bed.   
   
Not wanting to be humiliated when Jensen woke up and treated him like just another notch in his headboard, Jared got his clothes on, ignoring the pain in his backside as he did, and walked out of the house. Luckily, no one else had slept over that night. Of course, when he got home, he was bitched at for being out all night and not letting his parents know and was sent to his room until dinner. Not that his parents’ punishment was anything even close to what Jared was doing to himself. He felt dirty and sick. He’d lost his virginity to Jensen Ackles at a party while he was drunk; could he have been any more of a cliché?!  
   
He ignored the phone calls from Jensen that came the next week and a half and kept to himself mostly at school. Finally, after his mother had given him up and spilled that he was home, Jared had to speak to Jensen. Much to his surprise, Jensen asked him if he wanted to go out to dinner, but Jared refused, figuring it was just some sort of scheme to either humiliate him or get him into bed again. Jared didn’t need either. He’d been used by Jensen once, and he had no intention of letting it happen again.  
   
“Yeah,” Jensen answered with a nod. “I know he didn’t do it. But who would ever believe me over my father?” Actually, he knew a way to get his father to do exactly what he wanted, but he didn’t need to be advertising that little bit of information. If Jared wanted his help, there was something he was going to have to do for Jensen first.   
   
When Jensen told him he knew his father didn’t do it, Jared felt a jolt of hope shoot through him. “You believe me?!” he asked, smiling wide so that his dimples were showing. Forgetting that he was trying to stay away from Jensen, he took a seat beside the older male. “Jensen you could try! Please, I would really appreciate it. My father can’t go to jail for something he didn’t do! It’s not right!” If he had one of the Ackles’ on his side, then he might have a shot at getting his father off the hook.  
   
Smiling, Jensen nodded slowly, figuring that he had Jared right where he wanted him. “I could try, I suppose,” Jensen answered with a small shrug. “But if I agree to help you, there’s something you have to do for me, too. Kind of an ‘I scratch your back, you scratch mine’ thing. What do you say, Jared?”  
   
Slowly, Jared swallowed, not knowing about this whole situation all of a sudden. But it was his father and he had to try every angle to get him off the hook for this false accusation. “All right, what do you want me to do?”  
   
Jensen’s smile widened when Jared asked what he wanted him to do. “It’s really quite simple Jared,” he assured him, moving just a bit closer. “You remember that night we had back in college, don’t you? Well, you left before I could talk to you again and then you refused to have dinner with me. I want it back, Jay. Be with me.” Before Jared could move away, Jensen cupped the back of his neck and pulled him into a heated kiss, tongue pushing into the younger male’s mouth, mapping out the hot cavern.  
   
As soon as Jensen’s lips were on his, Jared’s eyes widened and he made the mistake of gasping in surprise, which gave Jensen’s tongue access to his mouth. Quickly, he shoved Jensen away from him, jumping off of the bench as he wiped his lips off with the back of his hand. “Ugh! You bastard! You’re sick!” he shouted, glaring at Jensen. “No way! I’m not doing that again. I happen to be in a serious relationship right now. And even if I wasn’t, the answer would still be no. I’m not into casual sex, you jerk!”  
   
Really, Jensen though Jared would have gone for it. After all, his father’s freedom was on the line here and if there was anything Jared could do to prevent it, Jensen was sure the younger male would have done it. Apparently, he had read Jared wrong, however. “Fine,” Jensen answered, smiling up at Jared. “I hope your father’s able to get his medication in prison. I hear they’re really strict about that kind of stuff. You know, not wanting the inmates to sell their medication as drugs in there to gain allies.”  
   
“Go to Hell,” Jared spat when Jensen spoke, his body practically vibrating with anger. “My father is innocent! And he’ll be granted bail and then he’ll win the case! And all of this will just be a bad memory.” With that, Jared stormed back into the court room, taking his seat between Misha and Megan, waiting for the judge to come back in.  
   
Feisty; Jensen had always loved that about Jared. The few times he tried to catch him in the hall way after their encounter, Jared had always been a little spitfire. It was good to know Jared hadn’t lost that edge. If Jared had stayed that morning until Jensen woke up, things might have turned out a lot differently between the two of them. He had actually been considering asking Jared to be his steady boyfriend, knowing there was something different about Jared than all those other meaningless fucks.  
   
But Jared had left and then wouldn’t talk to him again. It kind of pissed Jensen off, but in a way it also turned him on. Jared Padalecki was the only person to ever turn Jensen down, which just made Jensen more interested in getting Jared to be his. And he was going to succeed; even if he had to blackmail the younger male to do it!  
   
Seeing the judge about ready to go into the court room, Jensen caught up to him. “Judge Pellegrino, can I talk to you for a minute?” he called, stopping once he was right in front of the judge.  
   
When he heard his name being called, Mark stopped and looked to see who was calling him. “Oh Jensen, hello. Sure, but make it quick; I have a bail to grant.” He figured that Gerald Padalecki wasn’t a flight risk, so it was all right if he stayed at his house until the trial.  
   
“You’re granting him bail, Mark?” Jensen asked, seeming shocked. “Wow, I never thought I would see the day when Mark Pellegrino put a dangerous criminal out on the streets until his trial. I mean, Alona is afraid to leave her house since the attack. Poor girl’s worried that Gerald might come back to the office unannounced and hurt her again.” Sighing, Jensen shook his head. “I feel really bad for her. She used to be so full of life. And now she’s so…quiet and reserved; jumpy, you know.”  
   
As Jensen explained about Alona’s behavior after the attack, Mark frowned. He couldn’t believe that poor girl had been hurt like that and now she was worried it was going to happen again. Slowly, he shook his head. “That’s a shame. I remember Alona. She did always seem so full of life. I can’t believe anyone would want to hurt her. Let alone Gerald Padalecki. I mean, he was like a father to her. I’ve seen them in the park more than once. He was helping her study for some college course she was taking.”   
   
Shrugging, Jensen mused, “Well, you know some people are just fucked up in the head. I know you’ll do the right thing here Mark, right?” Pulling out pictures of Mark and his housekeeper Danneel, Jensen bit his lip. “I mean, I’d hate for these to leak to your wife. She’d be furious. And you could forget about seeing the kids.”  
   
The bailiff came popped his head out of the door then and explained that Mark needed to get back in the court room. Mark merely nodded before he turned his worried gaze to Jensen. He knew that as long as he played along, those pictures would never reach his wife’s hands. “Thank you for letting me know about this, Jensen,” Mark smiled. “You may have just changed my mind on the case of Gerald Padalecki.”  
   
**~~**  
   
Jared thought he was going to pass out when he heard the judge say that his father had been denied bail. This couldn’t be happening. How the hell was this possibly happening?! Then it hit him; Jensen. He had to have been behind this. That little comment back in the lobby wasn’t just a threat; it had been a warning.   
   
Quickly, Jared turned to Misha and shook his head. “Jensen did this! He made sure my father got denied bail!” He wanted to go find Jensen and throttle him, but he knew he couldn’t do that unless he wanted his sister to be left all alone because he had been taken to jail for assaulting that jerk. But that didn’t mean the thought wasn’t in his head.  
   
“What do you mean Jensen did this, sweetie?” Misha asked, brow creasing in confusion. He knew Jensen and Jared didn’t get along, but for Jensen to be as cruel as to put a man who was sick and needed access to his medication was a little absurd. “Come on, Jensen couldn’t have done this. The judge is just a prick who doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Smiling softly down at his boyfriend, Misha cupped his cheeks before he kissed him softly. “Don’t worry about it, Jay. We’ll figure something else out. Jim is an excellent lawyer. Your dad will get out of this. Trust me.”  
   
He tried to smile, but what came out was a poor excuse. Misha was just trying to help and Jared knew that, but it didn’t make this better. “All right, we’ll win the trial,” he nodded, trying to make himself believe it. “Uh…we should go somewhere and eat. Megan’s probably hungry and she won’t eat anything if it’s just me and her. She’s still mad at me.”  
   
Nodding, Misha ushered Jared out of the court room, Megan in tow. Right before the door closed, Jared saw Jensen giving him a smug smirk, which pissed him off more than he had already been and all of a sudden, Jared didn’t feel much like going to eat.  
   
The ride to whatever restaurant Misha picked was silent for the most part. Megan was ignoring Jared and Jared was too pissed off to say more than a few words at a time only when he was answering a question Misha had asked. And dinner wasn’t much better. At least Megan started talking a little more, to Misha but not Jared. He didn’t much care, though. Right now, Jared was thinking of a way to get his father out of this whole mess without losing his dignity.  
   
By the time they got home, Jared still had nothing, which was a huge disappointment. So, after Megan went to her room and Misha went home, Jared did the only thing he could think of; called Jensen. As the phone rang, he thought more than once about just hanging up, but he didn’t. This was for his father. If he didn’t do this, there was a possibility that his dad could die, and then Jared would have to live the rest of his life knowing that he could have stopped that fate from coming to pass.  
   
On the fifth ring, Jensen answered. “Jared, I didn’t think I’d be hearing from you for a while. At least not until the trial.” His smile was clear in his voice as he spoke, which led Jared to believe that Jensen had been expecting his call. “What can I do for you, Jared?”  
   
“You’re an asshole,” Jared bit out. “You know exactly why I’m calling. I can’t think of another reason why I would be calling you and if you can then you’re living in a fantasy world. I want to talk about making sure my father doesn’t spend another day in jail.”  
   
A wide smile came to Jensen face when he heard Jared’s words. Bingo. “Mm…sorry Jared, I’m really busy right now. I have a lot of paperwork to do for my next case and then I have to turn in because I have to get an early start tomorrow. Really, I’m sorry; I wish I could help you.” After a pause, Jensen added, “Well, I’m free tomorrow night for dinner. I mean, if you want to talk then, we surely can do that.”  
   
Rolling his eyes, Jared explained, “Jensen, I have a boyfriend. I already told you that I’m with Misha. I’ll meet you at Ackles Incorporated, just tell me what time.” There was no way Jared was going to betray Misha by having dinner with Jensen unless there was a good reason for it.  
   
Jensen hummed softly when Jared spoke before he clicked his tongue. “Sorry, I can’t do that,” he answered with a shake of his head. “It’s either you have dinner with me, or your father rots in a jail cell. Your choice baby.”  
   
The younger male had to fight back the urge to vomit. Dinner with Jensen; he hadn’t wanted to be part of that four years ago and he sure as hell didn’t want to be part of that right now. But he was kind of stuck if he wanted to help his father, he supposed. Swallowing down the bile that was threatening to rise, Jared answered, “Fine. When and where?”  
   
Again, Jensen smiled before he answered, “The Ritz, you know the place down on the corner of West 45th Street? Meet me there at seven sharp and we’ll talk about what we can do for your father. Oh, and Jared, make sure you look nice. This is a fancy restaurant and I don’t want to have to be seen with you if you look like a slob.”  
   
With that, Jensen hung up, sighing as he flopped back down onto his bed. Just a few more nights now, he was sure. Maybe even only one night and Jared would be in his house, his bed, for the rest of their lives. He wasn’t a nut job who believed in happily ever after, or anything, but he did believe in the power he could hold over someone. And what he had over Jared was a real winner that could keep the younger male here a very long time.  
   
**~~**  
   
“Where are you going?” Megan asked when she saw Jared pulling his coat on. She was a little less angry today and she had called Sophia and Sandy to come over because Sandy had a crush on Jared and Megan had promised he would be here.  
   
When Megan asked where he was going, Jared shrugged as he shook his head. “It’s not important. I’ll be back soon.” Feeling to make sure he had his keys, Jared asked, “Uh, when are Sophia and Sandy supposed to be here?”  
   
Leaning against the banister, Megan twirled a piece of her hair as she answered, “They’re coming over at eight. Oh and they’re staying all night. You said you didn’t care yesterday. How long is soon? I promised Sandy you would be here when they were.”  
   
Jared rolled his eyes when Megan mentioned Sandy. She was a nice girl and everything, but Jared was happy with Misha. And even if he didn’t have Misha, he wouldn’t have been with Sandy. Sure, she was attractive and a real catch, he assumed, but he was into men, not women. Repeatedly, he’d tried to explain that to Megan, but he supposed his sister had never passed on the message. “I don’t know. A couple of hours maybe. I really have to go, I’m going to be late. I’ll call you before I come home.”  
   
Quickly, Jared walked out the door and climbed into his car. If he was late, there was a chance Jensen would just leave so he wouldn’t have to make nice on his deal. Well, Jared wasn’t about to let that happen, accelerating the speed limit by almost thirty miles to make it to the restaurant in time. He had been here once before with Misha, but they had ended up not staying. The waiters seemed like they had sticks up their asses and neither Jared nor Misha had wanted to deal with that. Of course, Jared didn’t really have much of a choice now.  
   
He made his way into the restaurant and was greeted by the hostess who asked if she could take his coat. Nodding, he took it off for her and let her hang it up on the rack. “I’m looking for someone, he’s probably here waiting for me,” Jared explained. “Uh, his name’s Ackles. Jensen Ackles.”  
   
Smiling, the hostess nodded. “Right this way, Mr. Padalecki,” she instructed, leading Jared through the dining room to a private little nook at the back of the restaurants. “Mr. Ackles told us you would be coming. He hasn’t been here long, so I don’t think you have much to worry about. Here you are. And your menu, sir. The waitress will be here shortly to take your order, gentlemen. Enjoy.”  
   
“Champagne?” Jensen asked, holding the bottle out to Jared. “You’re late, but I suppose I can let it slide. I mean, at least you look decent, which is a plus.”  
   
Jared eyed the champagne with disgust before he shook his head. “Why, so you can get me drunk and seduce me again? No thank you, I think I’ll pass.” When the waitress came over to the table, Jared ordered a water to drink and requested a few more minutes with the menu.  
   
A small frown came to Jensen’s lips at Jared’s remark. He hadn’t seduced Jared that night. Jared had too much to drink and came on to him. It would have been rude to decline the young male. And Jensen would have been an idiot to not want Jared, so he’d gone for it. If Jared’s moaning was any indication, he seemed to have enjoyed himself. Not to mention he came three times that night.  
   
“How much do you remember about that night, Jared? Really remember, not just things you heard from other people?” He knew Mike Rosenbaum had been filling Jared’s heads with lies about how Jensen had purposely gotten him drunk so he could fuck the new kid. That wasn’t it at all, but no one had believed him. Screw all of them; they could believe what they wanted. But he needed Jared to know the truth.  
   
Shaking his head, Jared answered, “I don’t want to talk about it. We have more important things to discuss right now. Like you getting my father out of that jail cell.” Closing his menu and folding his arms over it, Jared looked into Jensen’s grass green eyes. “Can you do it, or not?”  
   
Slowly, a smile spread over Jensen’s face. “Of course I can do it. I’m the one who put him in there essentially, so I can get him back out. It’s just a matter of me wanting to.” Leaning closer to Jared, he locked gazes with the younger male. “The question is Jared, can you do what’s necessary to get him out of that cell?”  
   
Could he? Jared wasn’t sure, but he was going to do everything in his power to do just that. “That kind of depends on you, Jensen. What do you want from me?” He wasn’t agreeing to anything until he knew what the terms were.  
   
Jensen pulled back slightly as the waitress came back. He smiled up at her and ordered his meal, then let Jared order before she walked away. Once she was gone, Jensen returned his attention to Jared. “We’ll discuss this after dinner.”  
   
He hated that idea, but again there wasn’t much he could do about it. Jensen was calling all of the shots, and that was no secret. So, he just nodded and waited for his food to come. Surprisingly, the meal was actually quite good and Jared actually found himself relaxing a little. But when dinner was over and Jensen ordered dessert, Jared was tense once more. Dessert came soon after they ordered it and Jared was done playing. “All right, dinner’s over, cut the bullshit. This isn’t a real date Jensen, now get to it. What do you want?”  
   
It was at least good while it lasted, Jensen supposed, having noticed that Jared had actually been starting to relax. Now, however, the younger male was as tense as he had been when he walked in, if not more so and was demanding to know what the terms were. “Watch your mouth, we’re not out at some burger joint,” he chastised with a shake of his head.  
   
Again, he leaned in close to Jared, their hands almost touching. “I can’t stop thinking about you, Jared; ever since that night at Chris’s house. You might not remember it, but I sure as hell do, even when I don’t want to sometimes,” Jensen explained. “So here’s the deal: you want your father out of prison and I want you. I think it’s a fair trade, don’t you?”  
   
Not following, Jared shook his head slightly. “You…want me to go to jail in place of my father?” he asked, obviously clueless.  
   
“No,” Jensen answered as he shook his head. “Come live with me. You stay at my house under certain…terms and you’re father will be a free man again. Megan can have her father back and you can stop worrying about his health issue. It’s a perfect plan.” He held out his had to stop Jared from speaking and ordered, “Don’t say anything yet. Think about it first.”  
   
Pushing to his feet, Jensen grabbed his jacket before leaning over Jared and whispering in his ear, “I’ll give you until midnight tonight to give me an answer. You know where I live; just stop by and I’ll have Jeffrey let you in. We’ll go over the terms there with Steve and we’ll get everything squared away.” He nipped the shell of Jared’s ear before he finally pulled away. “Finish your cake. I’ll see you later tonight, baby.”  
   
Jared had no idea what he was going to do now, but he knew it wasn’t going to be finishing his damn cake! Jensen was blackmailing him into living with him?! Did he know how fucking insane this was?! But really, did Jared have a choice? No, he really didn’t, and they both knew that. Jensen had practically been doing a damn victory dance as he left the restaurant because he knew he had Jared stuck.  
   
With a sigh, Jared walked out to the lobby grabbing his coat and leaving. He had tried to pay for dinner, but the hostess informed him that Jensen had taken care of it. Once he was outside, he took a walk around the block once or twice, just thinking. It was around eleven now, and he knew he had to tell Megan he wouldn’t be home until late. Quickly, he pulled out his phone and called his sister. “Hey Megs, turns out I’m going to be a little later than I thought. Probably won’t be home until the early morning. Don’t wreck the house with Sandy and Sophia all right? I’ll be home as soon as I can be.”  
   
After telling Megan that he loved her and then talking to Sandy for a while since Megan had insisted, Jared was in his car once more, driving to Jensen’s house. His father had been here a few times, so Jared knew where it was. Not as well as he knew the Ackles’ residence since he had been there more than three times, but he still knew where Jensen’s place was.   
   
Once he was at the gate, he rang the bell, noticing the camera overhead. Someone was a little too cautious, he thought. Then again, someone as rich as Jensen couldn’t be too careful, he supposed. When the gate opened, he drove on through, parking behind a black stretch limo that was sitting in front of the house.  
   
Jensen was out the door as soon as Jared hit the top stair with a wide smile on his face. “So, you’ve made your decision, I take it?” Jensen asked, his smile still plastered on his face. 

“Yeah, I’ve made my decision,” Jared answered, wanting so badly to tell Jensen to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. But he knew he couldn’t, so he just said, “Let’s discuss the terms. I want to be home by three. My sister said there’s a movie on that looks really good. She wants me to watch it with her. I don’t want to break my promise.”

Nodding, Jensen ushered Jared inside, closing the door behind them. Tomorrow night, he was going to have Jared right where he wanted him; in his bed; on his terms.


	2. Chapter Two

“Come on in Jared,” Jensen smiled, hand moving to the small of Jared’s back. His hand felt good there; like it belonged there. “Can I get you something to drink? I’ve got beer in the fridge if you want some.”  
   
Frowning, Jared moved further away from Jensen, shaking his head. “No, I don’t need anything. I just want to get this done and go home.” Probably for the last time In a long while since Jensen was getting his way Of course, this was the only way his father could be set free, so Jared knew he was just going to have to suck it up.   
   
Again, Jensen smiled as he dropped his hand back down to his side. He had plenty of time to touch Jared in the near future, so he wasn’t worried about it. “Suit yourself. Steve’s in the dining room, we can talk there,” Jensen explained before he led Jared into the dining room, taking a seat and gesturing for Jared to do the same  
   
Slowly, Jared did as he was told, his bottom lip caught between straight rows of white teeth. “Should I have brought my lawyer?” he asked, knowing Steve Carlson was an employee at the firm Jensen and his family owned. Actually, if memory served him right, Jared was pretty sure Steve Carlson was Jensen’s own personal lawyer.  
   
A soft chuckle escaped Jensen when Jared asked if he should have brought his lawyer. “No, that’s not necessary. Steve’s only here to make sure we behave ourselves don’t kill each other.” Sighing, he leaned back in his chair, jade green eyes locked on champagne hazels. “So, shall we get down to business?”  
   
Jared nodded when Jensen explained why Steve was here. He didn’t believe that was the only reason Steve was here, but it was probably a good idea. Jared didn’t see this going very well. “Yeah, we should get started,” he agreed, arms crossing over his chest as he met Jensen’s stare head on. “What do you, Jensen Ackles, richest man in the state, want from me?”  
   
Honestly, Jensen could think of a thousand answers to that question. But he didn’t want to overwhelm Jared, so he had narrowed the list down to a few choice things that he thought were reasonable. “A little agreement,” he answered with a smile. “Like I said before, I want you to be with me. So, here’s the deal: for the next six months, you have to stay here with me. Live in my house with me and follow my rules.”  
   
When Jensen answered his question, Jared’s eyes widened in a mixture of shock and disbelief. “Are you kidding me?!” shaking his head, he explained, “I have a boyfriend, Jensen; and a sister who depends on me! I can’t just up and leave them for six months without warning!”  
   
“You won’t be; I’m giving you until the weekend to tell them,” Jensen assured him. “I can’t get in to see Mark until tomorrow afternoon and then there are some things I have to take care of in order to get your father out of his current situation.” Shrugging, he added, “So you have until Saturday morning at eight o’clock sharp to let them know. By that time, Gerald will be home, so you don’t have to worry about Megan being alone.”  
   
Saturday morning?! That didn’t give him much time! “I-I have to take care of my dad, Jensen. I make sure he takes his medication and-and he doesn’t miss doctor’s appointments,” Jared explained as he wracked his brain for any way out of this mess. “If I’m not there, who’s going to make sure he’s cared for properly?”  
   
Calmly, Jensen answered, “Megan is old enough now to take care of him. But if it would make you feel better, I’ll get a live-in nurse to stay there with him. Best in the state; my treat.”  
   
Of course he would. Jensen seemed to have an answer for everything, didn’t he? “What am I supposed to tell Misha?” he asked as his bottom lip disappeared behind straight white teeth. After all, it wasn’t every day your boyfriend moved into another man’s house for six months. Especially when the man was trying to resurrect a relationship that had lasted all of six hours, at the most. Jared considered those hours the biggest mistake of his life; obviously, Jensen had different feelings on the matter.   
   
Smirking, Jensen answered, “That you’ve moved on to bigger and better things.” He’d met Misha Collins a few times at parties the company had thrown. Gerald brought his kids and Misha was there with Jared all of the time. It had pissed Jensen off so badly one year that he actually left the party early, got drunk, and ended up hooking up with Alona. Jared had looked so happy with Misha that night and Jensen just hadn’t been able to handle it.  
   
Angrily, Jared frowned at Jensen. “I am not going to lie to him like that,” he retorted. He knew there was nothing he could say to make Misha be all right with this, but it was his father! There was no other option that he saw right now, and Misha had to understand that. “I’ll think of something. Just tell me what these rules I have to follow are.”  
   
Jensen chuckled when Jared insisted that he wasn’t going to lie to Misha. “Fine, but whatever you tell him, he’s not going to like it. I was just trying to make you look better.” He straightened up when Jared asked about the rules, a wide smile plastered on his face. “All right since you want to get all back to business, as you wish. Like I said, you have to live here with me for six months. If you bail out before the six months are up, then your father gets put back in the slammer again. And you know I can do that, Jay.”  
   
At Jared’s nod, Jensen continued, “As for the rules, there aren’t many and I expect you to follow them. First, as you probably already know, I am expected to be at several important social events throughout the year and now I’ll be going with you on my arm. I expect you to be civil with me and everyone there; as far as they’re concerned, you’re my boyfriend and you will act as such. Kissing, hugging and being affectionate is all required to sell that we’re together. If you have a problem with that, I’d suggest you get over it and fast.  
   
“Secondly, my house is just short of being the most expensive house in the state and you have full reign. Anywhere you want to go, feel free. Mi casa es su casa, you know the deal.” Slowly, Jensen leaned closer to Jared before he added, “There’s an exception to that rule, however. When I go to bed, so do you. In my bed with me.”  
   
Hearing that he would be sleeping in the same bed as Jensen, Jared’s eyes widened to a comical size. “What?! I’m not sleeping in the same bed as you Jensen!” Jared argued as he shook his head. “One time Jensen that was it! We had sex once and it will never happen again, do you hear me?!”  
   
Completely ignoring Jared’s outburst, Jensen continued, “Which brings to me to my third and final rule; sex. We will be having sex. I can’t have you in my house, in my bed, and refrain from touching you. It just won’t happen. I call the shots there. If I want sex, we have sex. Although I don’t see it happening right away, if you want sex, feel free to tell me and I’ll more than willingly oblige. You have the right to say no, but I also have the right to not listen.” Smiling, he asked, “So, questions, comments?”  
   
When Jensen told him that he would be basically forced to have sex with him, Jared frowned. How the hell could someone expect another person to agree to being raped, more or less?! “Yeah, just one; what part of it will never happen again were you not clear on? Did I stutter, or something? You can’t expect me to agree to something like this. Basically, you’re trying to force yourself on me and I’m not agreeing to something so cruel and degrading.”  
   
As Jared spoke, Jensen bit his lip. “Hm…I’m just a little unclear on one thing, Jared. What part of I hold the keys to your father’s freedom are you not clear on? Do you want your father out of prison, or not? Because if you do, then these are the terms. But hey, maybe Jim can win the case and you can all go home happy and live out your lives.” Frowning, Jensen shook his head as he caught his lip between his teeth once more. “Oh wait, then your father’s unemployed and there’s no money coming into the house. But you don’t have to worry about that because Megan can get a job, right?”  
   
Again, Jensen frowned and bit his lip. “No, that won’t work either. Not with the economy in the trash the way it is; no one’s hiring right now. Well, there’s always prostitution. I mean, I, personally can’t see Megan as a sexual companion because I basically watched her grow up but I’m sure for other men, or even women, she’d be a great catch for the night. You’d be surprised how much money she could make in one night on the --”  
   
“Stop it!” Jared yelled, nearly jumping out of his chair. “Just stop it, all right?! I get it. You have me by the balls and there’s nothing I can do but accept your offer, rules and degrade included. Is that what you want to hear, Jensen? Huh? Fine! I accept your terms and I will be here on Saturday morning at eight o’clock sharp. I’ll sleep in your bed for the next six months and I’ll let you fuck my brains out. Okay?! Are you fucking happy now, Ackles?!”  
   
Pushing off of the table, Jared moved his chair back, knocking it over when he stood and walked away. “I’ll be back on Saturday. I don’t think I can stomach seeing you again until then,” Jared called back to Jensen, angry tears spilling down his cheeks as he slammed the front door closed behind him.  
   
Jensen slid back in his chair with a sigh. “Smooth,” he muttered to himself as he shook his head. Really, he hadn’t meant to piss Jared off, but he didn’t see any other way this could go. Jared wasn’t willingly going to stay here and sleep in his bed with the occasional sexual benefit. He had to do this because if he didn’t, then he wouldn’t be getting anything he wanted out of the deal. And getting Gerald Padalecki out of jail was going to be a bitch after he’d worked so hard to put him there. Hopefully, Mark was in a good mood tomorrow.  
   
When Jensen mumbled to himself, Mike couldn’t help but chuckle. “So, when’s the wedding again, Jensen?” he teased. “I wanted to mark my calendar to make sure Chris and I don’t make plans for that day.”  
   
“Suck my dick, Steve,” Jensen answered dryly, pushing out of his chair and heading to his room. “Make sure you have that paperwork ready for me by Saturday at eight a.m. or I’ll you’re Chris kick your ass.” Everything was going to be all right by Saturday. Jared was going to see that they were meant for each other and he was just fighting the inevitable. After all, if Jared could make Jensen fall in love with him after just a few hours of having actual conversation, then Jensen knew he was the one for him because Jensen Ackles didn’t fall in love. Well, not until one Jared Padalecki who now didn’t want anything to do with him.  
   
With a sigh, Jensen fell back onto his king-sized bed, a small smile spreading across his lips when he thought about the fact that he wouldn’t have to be sleeping in it alone too much longer. Even without the sex, it was still going to be great just to have Jared in the bed with him. Frowning, he wondered if he should have added cuddling into the agreement. At least for the first few weeks, if not longer, Jared was going to try and weasel his way out of every little thing, so Jensen had to word the agreement very carefully.  
   
**~~**  
   
Jared resisted the urge to slam the door as he walked into his house, knowing that Megan and her friends were upstairs. He didn’t want to ruin his little sister’s fun, after all. Besides, it wasn’t like he could talk to her about his problem anyway with Sandy and Sophia here. Sure, Megan would just tell them anyway, but he didn’t want to be around when they were informed.  
   
Sighing, he walked up the stairs and headed to his room. There, he grabbed his phone and plopped down on the bed as he dialed Misha’s number. After the second ring, Misha answered, which caused Jared to smile. “Hey honey,” he greeted, feeling a little bit better about the situation he was in.  
   
“Hi baby,” Misha greeted with a smile. “It’s late, why are you still up?” Tucking the phone between his ear and shoulder, Misha flicked his bedroom light on and checked the clock. It really was late, which meant something was wrong, he was sure. “Is everything all right, baby?”  
   
Slowly, Jared nodded only to remember that Misha couldn’t see him. “Yeah, everything’s fine. I just wanted to hear your voice.” Biting his lip, Jared had to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill over his cheeks. “Hey Misha, can I come stay at your place tonight? I just don’t really want to be here. Megan’s got Sandy and Sophia over and I don’t think I can handle being stared at all night. It’s bad enough that I’ll have to deal with it tomorrow.”  
   
A small frown came to Misha’s lips when Jared asked if he could stay over. There had only been a few occasions when Jared asked to stay over and it hadn’t been very pleasant. The first time, Misha had tried to get Jared to allow him to make love to him and they had gotten into a big fight. And the second time, Jared’s grandfather had just died and he had gotten into a huge fight with Jeff about Jeff’s speech at the funeral.  
   
But if Jared was asking to sleep over, Misha couldn’t deny him. That wouldn’t make him a very good boyfriend, would it? “Yeah baby, absolutely. I have a client coming over in the morning, but you’re welcome to stay here when she’s here. Did you want me to come pick you up, or are you going to drive here?”  
   
“I’ll come over on my own. I need to make a stop first,” Jared explained. “I’ll be there in about twenty minutes, is that okay?” He smiled when Misha told him he would be up waiting for him. “All right, I’ll see you soon. Bye.” Hanging up the phone, Jared swung his legs off the bed and stood. He then walked to his closet and pulled out am athletic bag, which he loaded with clothing for the next day.   
   
Once that was done, he walked to the bathroom and grabbed his toothbrush and some toothpaste. Misha had some kind of weird toothpaste that made Jared’s teeth hurt, so he always brought his own. He then made his way to Megan’s room, knocking on the closed door. When he heard his sister tell him to come on in, he obliged. “Hey Megs, I’m heading over to Misha’s house. I won’t be back until tomorrow. Are you going to be all right here?”  
   
Megan rolled her eyes when Jared asked if she would be all right alone. “Yes Jared, I will be fine,” she assured him. “I am old enough now to take care of myself now. And it’s not like I’m alone; Sandy and Sophia are here.” She smiled when Sandy waved flirtatiously at her brother before she continued, “Just head on over to Misha’s house and if I need anything, I’ll make sure to call you. Okay?”  
   
Smiling, Jared nodded. “Yeah, okay that sounds like a plan. I’ll be home before eight. Misha has a client coming over and I don’t want to be there messing with him while he’s working.” Again, he smiled before he waved slightly at his sister and her friends. “Don’t forget to call if you need me! I’m only ten minutes away.”  
   
He smiled wider when he heard his sister calling him a worry wart. So what if he was; Megan was his responsibility and he was going to make sure she was all right for as long as he could, which he wasn’t sure how much longer that would be. After all, he wasn’t sure if Jensen was going to allow him to see his family when this little arrangement took place.   
   
About twenty minutes later, he was at Misha’s house, knuckles softly rapping against the hard wooden surface of the door. When Misha opened the door in his sleep pants and a ratty old T-shirt, Jared smiled widely, dimples denting his cheeks. “You look hot in your pajamas,” Jared chuckled, arm wrapping around Misha’s waist as he pulled him in and kissed his lips.  
   
Chuckling, Misha shook his head. “Don’t make fun of my pajamas,” Misha pouted as he pulled out of Jared’s grip, moving to just hold his hand. “Did you want anything? I can make coffee if you want to talk.” Something had made Jared want to come over here and Misha wanted to know what it was.   
   
“No, I’m okay,” Jared assured him. “I was just thinking about going to sleep. I’m kind of tired.” Plus, he had to have some more time to think of how he was going to explain this agreement with Jensen to Misha. It was better, in his opinion if they just went to sleep so he didn’t have to think about this anymore tonight. And it was probably one of the last nights he’d be able to just hold Misha in a long time, so he had every intention of taking full advantage of tonight.   
   
A small frown came to Misha’s face when Jared told him he just wanted to sleep. “All right,” he answered, pulling Jared into his bedroom and flicking the lights on. “You can change in the bathroom unless you just want to wear that.” His eyes widened when he realized what exactly Jared was wearing. “Baby, why are you in a suit? Did I miss something?”  
   
Jared quickly shook his head when Misha asked if he missed something, wishing that he would have taken a few minutes to change back into his jeans instead of wearing this classy suit that he usually only whipped out for funerals. “No, I uh went to some fancy restaurant with Jim to talk about my father’s trial. I just forgot to change before I came over here.”   
   
It made him sick to have to lie to Misha like that, but he didn’t see any other option. If he would have told his boyfriend that he had been eating dinner with Jensen Ackles at a fancy restaurant, then Misha might have gotten the wrong idea. Jared didn’t want that to happen, so this was better for both of them. At least he hoped so anyway.  
   
Slowly, Misha nodded. “Oh, I see,” he answered. “That’s why you wanted to come over here. It upset you didn’t it baby?” He pulled Jared into a hug then, fingers slowly carding through his lover’s hair. “It’s okay, Jared,” he assured him, pressing his lips to the younger male’s neck. “Your father is going to get out of this ridiculous mess he’s in and then everything will go back to the way it should be. Don’t worry about it.”  
   
He smiled softly when Misha told him everything was going to be the way it should be. Yeah, his father was going to get out of this mess, but nothing was going to be as it should be. Jared wasn’t going to be with them because Jensen Ackles decided that it was right to use his power to force those who aren’t as well off into doing what he wants them to do. So sure, things were going be better, but they weren’t going to be as they should be.  
   
Pulling back, Jared mumbled, “I’m just gonna go get changed.” With another small smile, Jared walked into the bathroom, door closing softly behind him. Once there, he pulled out his tooth brush and tooth paste before he stripped down to his boxers and wife beater tee. He then brushed his teeth and pulled on his sleep pants. After all of that was done, he crouched down in front of his bag, pulling the zipper of the small front compartment down and peering inside.  
   
Before he came over, he’d made a quick stop at the gas station a few miles away from his house. There, he’d purchased lube and condoms, thinking he was finally ready to take the next step in his and Misha’s relationship. After all, they’d been dating for two years now and Jared was pretty sure he was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. And now was the perfect time since he was being forced to be with Jensen after this. He at least wanted to make love to the man he actually loved before he was violated once again by Jensen Ackles.  
   
However, Jared was a little bit nervous about it. Being an artist, Misha probably had experience, Jared had heard about all of the kinky shit artists did in their spare time, whereas Jared was all but a virgin. Well, unless he counted getting drunk and losing his virginity to Jensen, then he wasn’t a virgin. But Jared chose not to think of that very often if he could help it. He hadn’t even told him family or Misha; he hadn’t told anyone except Mike because he had already known about it from Christian Kane who had told him the day after it happened.  
   
But he loved Misha and he trusted him, so he was sure the older male wouldn’t make fun of his inexperience. Sighing, he grabbed his bag and headed back into the bedroom, tossing the bag onto the floor as he crawled into the bed beside Misha. “You’re house is really hot,” Jared mumbled as he curled up close to his boyfriend. “What do you have the air condition on?”  
   
“I don’t have it on,” Misha answered as he rolled onto his side and spooned in behind Jared. “The AC broke the other night and the electrician won’t get in here to fix it until Monday. Something about them being too backed up and my apartment being on the opposite side of town; I don’t really know what they were babbling about. I stopped listening after they told me I wouldn’t have air for the next few weeks.”  
   
Jared chuckled softly when Misha told him that he stopped listening to the electric company when they told him he wouldn’t be getting his AC fixed. “Yeah, that sounds like you,” he assured him. Slowly, he turned so that he was facing Misha as he smiled. “You should get a fan and have it pointing at the bed, I think. That way you’re not sweating all over the sheets.”  
   
Pointing up at the ceiling, Misha answered, “I have a ceiling fan. I just choose not to use it.” He pressed his face into Jared’s neck and kissed his boyfriend’s collar bone as he pulled him closer. “I happen to like sweating all over my sheets.”  
   
When Misha kissed his collar bone, Jared moaned softly, eyes sliding closed in pleasure. One of the few things he remembered about that night with Jensen was that his neck was a very sensitive spot. Jensen had taken full advantage of that fact also. But he wasn’t thinking about Jensen right now. So, to keep his mind off the older male where he didn’t want it to be, he ducked his head and kissed Misha’s jaw.  
   
He gently shoved Misha away when the older male told him that he liked to sweat all over his sheets. “Ew, Misha that’s so gross,” he chuckled, shaking his head. As he playfully pushed Misha away from him, Misha wrapped his arms around Jared to make sure he didn’t go anywhere, which made Jared smile. He then dipped his head and sealed his lips over Misha’s, lips parting instantly to invite Misha’s tongue inside.  
   
A small moan escaped Misha when Jared kissed him, the action having been totally surprising. Nevertheless, Misha wasn’t just going to sit there like a thirteen year old boy who was just getting kissed for the first time. Instead, he rolled them over so that he was laying half on top of Jared, tongue delving between Jared’s parted lips and mapping out the younger male’s mouth.   
   
The kiss lasted until both of them were in dire need of oxygen, their panted breaths mingling as they pulled away from each other. “Mm…what was that for, baby?” Misha panted out, the backs of his knuckles softly brushing against the side of his boyfriend’s cheek.  
   
“Make love to me Misha,” Jared whispered as he bit his bottom lip. He felt like a teenager again who was just about to ask his girlfriend to the prom, or something. There was no reason he should be so worried about this he knew, but he was still on the verge of sweating.  
   
Hearing Jared ask him to make love to him, Misha’s eyes widened slightly. This was even more surprising than that last kiss. The last time Misha had tried to make love to Jared, there had been a big argument about how Jared planned on staying a virgin until he was married. Misha and Jared weren’t married, so he didn’t see how anything had changed. Maybe Jared was just overwhelmed and he thought that by having sex with his boyfriend, it would make everything bad go away. Well, Misha was good, but he wasn’t that good.  
   
Slowly, Misha pulled back so he could look into Jared’s eyes. “Baby, I thought you said you wanted to wait until we were married. What’s this about?” Realizing that by saying such a thing, it sounded like he was rejecting Jared, Misha quickly added, “I mean, if you’re sure you want me to, then I want to, but I don’t want you to change your beliefs unless you’re absolutely sure.”  
   
Jared knew there was a reason he loved this man next to him. He didn’t really want to change his beliefs, but something inside him had just thought that this was a good idea; consummating his and Misha’s love before he was ripped away from him. But now that he was a little less distraught about what was going on, it was true, he didn’t want this for sure. “Y-Yeah, you’re right, I don’t know what I was thinking,” he answered with a small shake of his head. “It’s just…with everything that’s going on, I thought if I was with you like that it would all go away for a while. I’m sorry.”  
   
Again, Misha frowned softly before he shook his head, pressing his index finger against Jared’s lips. “Shh, don’t be sorry baby. I know this is hard for you. I can’t even begin to imagine how hard this is for you. But sleeping with me won’t make it go away. I just don’t want you to regret it in the morning.”  
   
He didn’t want Jared to regret this in the morning; like he regrets his time with Jensen. Smiling, Jared nodded before he pressed his lips against Misha’s in a soft, loving kiss. “I love you, Misha. You always know just what to say to make me happy even when I feel like the world is crashing down on me. Thank you.”  
   
“Don’t mention it, Jay,” Misha smiled. He then rolled off Jared and spooned up behind him once again. “We should get some sleep. Mrs. Cortese is going to be here in about three hours and I need as much sleep as I can get if I’m going to have to deal with her all day.”  
   
Chuckling Jared nodded, arm wrapping around Misha’s that was draped over Jared’s waist. “Good night, Misha,” he whispered as he closed his eyes. Tomorrow was his last chance. He had to tell Misha and Megan that he was leaving them for the next six months and he still had absolutely no idea how he was going to break the news. Needless to say, his night was all but restless.  
   
**~~**  
   
Jensen impatiently rapped against the door of apartment 312. He had a meeting to get to if he wanted his plan to release Gerald Padalecki before the weekend to work and he didn’t have time to goof off. “Alona, open the damn door sometime today! I have things to do!”  
   
As soon as Jensen spoke, the door opened, revealing a petite blonde woman with chocolate eyes and rosy lips. “What do you want?” she asked, her tone clipped and annoyed. She wasn’t very happy with Jensen after their last meeting where she was told that if she wanted to keep her job, she would help him pin her accident on Gerald Padalecki. It wasn’t that she’d wanted to do so, but she needed this job to pay off her college debts, so she’d had no choice.  
   
“Get dressed, we have a meeting to get to,” Jensen answered, moving past Alona and into the apartment. “Mark hates it when I’m late for appointments, and he won’t be so eager to do as I ask if I don’t make it there on time.” Sighing, he sat on the couch, looking Alona up and down. “Make sure you look presentable. This is the most profound Judge in the state. If you show up looking like someone who just came in off the streets, it’ll probably upset him and it will definitely embarrass me.”  
   
Frowning, Alona closed the door and headed into her room to get dressed. She came out a few minutes later wearing a navy blue pencil skirt and a white top with ruffles around the collar. On her feet she wore her favorite black heels and her toenails were painted perfectly with a bright red gloss that matched her manicured nails. She had done her make-up as well so she looked presentable, as Jensen had demanded. “Why am I going to this meeting with you, exactly? You said I could have the whole week off next week, including this Friday.”  
   
He smiled when Alona came back out, standing as he grabbed her coat. “Yes, I know that’s what I said, but this is important. I need you to come down to Mark’s house with me and help explain that you were confused after the accident and mistakenly accused Gerald Padalecki. I need him out of prison today.” Helping Alona get her coat on, he smiled as he asked, “So can we go? Before we’re late?”  
   
The ride to Judge Pellegrino’s house was silent for the most part, Jensen occasionally asking Alona what she was going to say and how she was going to act. He could tell that she wasn’t all that pleased with him, but he honestly couldn’t care. Jared was about to come live with him for six months and there was nothing that could ruin his good mood today.   
   
Once they arrived at the Pellegrino’s residence, Jensen climbed out of the car, moving to open Alona’s door and help her out. They then walked to Mark’s door and knocked, waiting patiently for the older male to open the door. When he did, Jensen smiled. “Hello Mark, we had an appointment.”  
   
Nodding, Mark smiled at Jensen and then Alona. “Yes, we did. Right on time, as usual Jensen. Please come in. My wife is at the store with the kids, so we have the house all to ourselves.” He led them both into the lounge area and motioned for them both to have a seat. “Now, you said this was urgent on the phone, so I’ve cleared my schedule today. What’s this about?”  
   
“Gerald Padalecki,” Jensen answered with a grin. “It seems that there was a little misunderstanding. He was mistakenly accused and I would like him to be released today. Oh, and I want this little mishap to be taken off his permanent record, as well.”  
   
Mark frowned when Jensen explained what he wanted him to do. Something here didn’t sit well with him. After all that hard work Jensen put in to getting Gerald’s bail denied; now he wanted him released? Mark didn’t like the sounds of this. Slowly, he turned his attention to Alona, seeing that her arm was in a cast and the laceration on her forehead was healing quite nicely. “Is this true, Miss Tal? Did you mistakenly accuse Gerald when it was someone else who hurt you?”  
   
The lie rolled easily enough of her tongue as she answered, “Yes, I made a mistake and I am so sorry that I’ve caused so much trouble. I was just confused when I first was admitted because of my head injury.” Frowning, Alona looked down at the floor as tears welled up in her eyes. “I just hope Gerald can forgive me for what I’ve done to him and his family.” That part wasn’t a lie; she really did hope that everything was still okay between her and the Padalecki’s when all of this was done.  
   
When Alona told Mark her story, he felt bad for her and more importantly, he believed her. Sighing, he nodded. “All right, I will see what I can do. But this kind of weight may take more than a few hours, Jensen. It requires a lot of paperwork to be done and --”  
   
“I trust that you’ll be able to take care of all the necessary precautions Mark,” Jensen assured him. “I have complete faith in you. I mean, you’ve never let me down before, and you’re not thinking of doing it now, right?” He knew that if Mark didn’t do what he asked, it would be the end of the older male’s career and his marriage; the nod he received from the older male was just reassurance. Sighing, he stood before looking down at Alona. “We really need to get going. I want you to notify me when Gerald’s free.”  
   
He made sure that Alona was following him before he left the house, opening the car door for her once more. Again, the drive back to Alona’s house was more or less silent until Alona turned to Jensen with a small frown on her face. “All right, what’s this about? What do you have up your sleeve, Ackles?”  
   
Slowly, Jensen turned his attention to Alona for a brief moment before looking back at the road. “What makes you think I have something up my sleeve?” Seeing Alona’s perfect brow raised, Jensen chuckled. “All right, so I am getting something out of this. Why do you care?”  
   
Alona gave Jensen a look that more or less asked him if he was crazy when he asked her why she cared. “Um, because I’m a part of this, Jensen. Just remember that I am the one whose job you threatened so Gerald Padalecki could be tossed in jail, so spill.”  
   
Rolling his eyes, Jensen answered, “Fine. I happen to be getting something awesome out of this whole deal; Jared Padalecki.” He couldn’t help the wide grin that broke out on his face when he told Alona was his prize was going to be.   
   
“What?!” Alona asked, her eyes widening to comical sizes. “Jensen really; you’re doing all of this because you want Jared Padalecki. From what you told me about that, it was one night. And then he refused to speak to you again. Come on, you’re willing to break up a family for something like this? What kind of a person are you?”  
   
Again, Jensen rolled his eyes before he replied, “I’m the kind of person who’s rescuing Jared from a life of poverty and heartache. I love him Alona, and he may not see it now, but he loves me too. Misha Collins isn’t right for him, dammit, I am. And he’s going to realize that once he moves in with me. Now, this is the end of the conversation. I don’t care what you think.” He stopped the car outside her apartment building. “Did you want me to walk you up?  
   
Slowly, she shook her head. “No, I can handle it myself, thanks. You better know what you’re doing Jensen. If you hurt him, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.” With that, Alona was out of the car and on her way up the stairs to her apartment.  
   
Jensen sighed as he watched Alona go. She was wrong; he wasn’t going to hurt Jared. He’d never do something like that. If anything he was going to be helping him. They belonged together and as soon as Jared was settled into his house, he would realize that, Jensen was sure.


	3. Chapter Three

The alarm clock sounded loudly in his ear, causing him to groan in protest as he slapped the damn thing to shut it up. Jared sure as hell wasn’t ready to wake up; even if he knew Misha had a client coming over shortly. However, when Misha moved out of the bed, Jared really had no choice seeing as how he felt awkward as hell sleeping in Misha’s bed when he wasn’t here with him.   
   
When Jared got out of the bed, Misha shook his head slowly. “Baby, you don’t have to wake up if you don’t want to,” he assured him. “Feel free to stay here and sleep as long as you want. Then when Mrs. Cortese leaves, we can go have lunch…or dinner, depending on how long she’s here. She’s one of the more picky clients, so I would bank on her being here until dinner time.”  
   
“No, it’s okay,” Jared answered as he shook his head. “I have to go make sure Megan is all right, anyway.” Pulling on his hoodie, which he’d stashed in his sleep bag, Jared added. “But we should get together when she leaves, definitely. Call me and I’ll meet you wherever you want to go.” He quickly pulled on his boots and then zipped his hoodie before leaning in to press his lips to Misha’s. “I’ll see you later.”  
   
As he drove home, Jared tried to think of the best way to break the news that he was leaving to his sister. Really, it wouldn’t matter he supposed because Megan wasn’t going to like any of the reasons he gave her. Sure, it was helping their father, but it was also hurting Jared and Megan wouldn’t like that anymore than she liked the idea of their father being in jail. But at least this wasn’t permanent whereas Gerald’s prison sentence would be. Six months and they were home free.   
   
Pulling into the driveway, Jared made sure to wipe the tears off his cheeks before he walked into his house. Megan, Sophia, and Sandy were all sitting in the living room watching some movie on television when he walked in, so he just decided to head upstairs and take a shower. All this thinking of Jensen Ackles was making him feel dirty.   
   
He was out of the shower about twenty minutes later, feeling refreshed and a little more ready to break the news to Megan. After all, this was the last chance he had to do it. Tomorrow he was going to live with Jensen and there was nothing he could do to stop that unless he wanted his father to most likely die in prison. As he was coming out of the bathroom, Sandy was just about to head in, but stopped so she could talk to Jared.  
   
“Wow Jared,” she smiled, eyes raking over the young male’s muscled chest that had little beads of water clinging to his taut skin. “You look like you’ve been working out. Can I touch your biceps?”  
   
Jared frowned when Sandy asked if she could touch his biceps, shaking his head. “Uh, no I don’t think that would be appropriate,” he answered as color rose to his cheeks. He had sort of been hoping that he could have avoided Sandy altogether while she was here, but he apparently wasn’t that lucky. “I don’t think Misha would appreciate that very much.”  
   
Shrugging, Sandy answered, “Misha doesn’t have to know. And it’s not like I’m asking to jump your bones, Jared; I only want to touch your bicep. It looks really firm and I want to see if looks are deceiving in your case.”  
   
Slowly, Jared let out a breath. This needed to stop. If Megan wasn’t going to pass the word on that he didn’t want to have anything to do with Sandy, then he was going to have to do it himself. “Look Sandy,” he started as he licked his lips, “I think you’re a nice girl and everything, but I can’t have you hitting on me all of the time. I’m more of a one-man kind of guy and to be quite honest, it makes me feel very uncomfortable when you talk to me like that, or look at me like you’re undressing me with your eyes.”  
   
When Jared explained to her that she was making him uncomfortable, Sandy placed her hand over her mouth, shocked. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know I was making you uncomfortable. I thought you knew I was just playing around with you.” Shaking her head, she assured him, “I’ll stop being so forward about my little crush. Promise.” With that, she walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.  
   
Actually, now that Jared got that out there in the open, he felt a little better about the Sandy situation. If she was just teasing him then he had nothing to worry about, really. He walked to his room with a small smile on his face after that little conversation, admittedly.  
   
Once he was dressed, Jared walked back down the stairs just as Sandy and Sophia were getting ready to leave. They both said good bye to Megan and then Jared before they were off, reminding Megan that they were getting together at Sophia’s house later on that night for another sleepover. “Another sleepover?” Jared asked with a small chuckle. “Don’t you girls ever get tired of those things?”  
   
Megan took a minute to think about that question before she shrugged. “Nah, not really. It’s a girl thing; I don’t think you’d understand it. So, how’d things go with Misha last night? Are you still a virgin?”  
   
“Hey!” Jared blushed, shaking his head. “I’m not a kid anymore, that’s private business. I don’t run around asking you if you’re still a virgin, do I?” He didn’t want to tell Megan that he wasn’t a virgin anymore, but that wasn’t because of Misha. It was bad enough his best friend knew. Surely, he didn’t need his sister to know those kinds of things.  
   
Shaking her head, Megan answered, “I am still a virgin, in case you were wondering.” When Jared gave her a playful glare, she laughed before pulling out a box of Cheerios from the cupboard. “So, I was talking to Jim on the phone last night. He called and wanted to talk to you but I told him you weren’t here so he just talked to me.”  
   
At the mention of Jim, Jared once again got completely serious. “Yeah? What did he say? Is there any news about Dad’s trial?” If there was good news about the trial, there was a chance Jared wouldn’t even have to do this ridiculous thing with Jensen. That would definitely be a good thing in Jared’s opinion.  
   
Sadly, Megan shook her head. “No, he just wanted to know how we were doing,” she answered. She’d wished it had been good news about her father’s trial as well, but even though it wasn’t, Jim was still thoughtful for calling and checking up on them. “But the other day after the bail hearing, he told me that he had high hopes for the trial. So, that’s good news, right?”  
   
He managed a smile for his sister’s sake when she asked if that was good news. “Yeah, that’s great news. You know Jim and that intuition thing he claims to have. I think Dad will come out of this with a win.” Here went nothing. It was now or never, Jared was sure since they were on the topic of their father’s trial. “Actually Megs, I know for a fact that Dad will come out of this with a win.”  
   
“You do?!” Megan asked with a wide smile on her face. “How do you know that?!” Smirking, she waggled her finger at Jared. “Oh, that was a good one, Jared. For a minute there, you almost had me going. You don’t have to tell me fibs just to make me feel better. I’m a big girl now. But I do appreciate the sentiment.”  
   
Jared slowly shook his head when Megan told him he didn’t have to fib. “I’m not fibbing; I really know if for a fact.” Biting his lip, he motioned for his sister to take a seat beside him. “Come sit down for a minute Megan, I need to talk to you about something.” Megan did as she was told, but Jared could tell by the look on her face that she didn’t really want to know what was coming next. He hadn’t even said anything and already Megan looked like she was going to cry. It broke Jared’s heart to see his baby sister like this, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it, so he just dropped his head for a few moments, giving himself some time to gather himself once again.  
   
Slowly, Jared ran his tongue over his suddenly too dry lips before he returned his attention to his little sister. “Do you, uh, remember last night when I called you and told you that I wouldn’t be home until early in the morning?” At Megan’s nod, Jared continued, “I was at dinner with Jensen Ackles before that, and then after I went to his house to talk about what was going on with Dad.” He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes once more, but he knew he couldn’t let them fall; knew he had to be strong for his little sister. “Megs, Jensen framed Dad to get to me. All this time, he wanted to make me hurt so I would agree to live with him. As long as I do that, he’s going to drop the charges and Dad can come home.”  
   
As Megan listened to Jared, her jaw dropped. She couldn’t believe Jensen would do something like that! The man had been so nice at all of the parties she met him at. Then again, she knew people could be very good at pretending to be one thing and then turn out to be something they weren’t. Her first boyfriend had been like that. “But…why would he want something like Jared? I didn’t even think he knew you existed. I mean all of those parties we went to where he was a guest and he never once acknowledged you.”  
   
Blinking back the tears in his eyes, Jared explained, “It was because of a stupid mistake I made my first year of college. I went to a party and I got drunk. I guess Jensen and I had sex that night but I don’t remember much of it. Only what Mike told me he heard from Jensen’s friend Chris.” Shaking his head, he continued, “I didn’t tell anyone about it because I was too embarrassed and I thought once I stopped talking to him, he’d just leave me alone, but he didn’t and now he’s going after my family.”   
   
He returned his gaze to his sister, eyes shining with unshed tears as he whispered, “I’m so sorry. I never thought he would do something like this. When he left me alone at the parties, I figured he’d moved on, but I guess I was wrong.”  
   
Quickly, Megan reached out for her brother, cupping his cheeks. She could see that he was really ashamed about what he had done all those years ago, and having bottled it up inside himself couldn’t have been what was best. “Jared, you should have told me. I wouldn’t have judged you; everyone makes mistakes, big bro. But it’s all right, we can tell Jim about this and maybe it’ll help the case.”  
   
“No, it won’t,” Jared assured her, his hands coming to rest on hers. “We don’t have any proof, and even if we did, he’d get out of it somehow. He’s rich and powerful because of it. I know what I have to do. He wants me to move in with him for six months. I’m going to do it. Dad will be here with you, so you don’t have to worry about being alone. And Jensen’s getting one of the best live-in nurses here to take care of Dad.” Biting his lip, Jared finished, “It’s the only way we can keep Dad out of prison. I got us into this mess and I have to get us out of it.”  
   
She could tell there was nothing she could do to talk her brother out of this, so she simply nodded, holding back her own tears. “We are going to be able to visit you, right? I mean, you’re not going to be a prisoner is his home, are you?”  
   
Jared shook his head before he answered, “I don’t think so. Even if he doesn’t like it, I’m going to see you guys. You’re my family and he doesn’t have the right to keep me away from you.” Of course, Jared knew he did have that right, but he didn’t want to let Megan know there was a possibility he wouldn’t see her for the next six months.  
   
Sighing, Megan gave her brother the best smile she could muster at the moment. A thought then occurred to her, which caused her smile to fade into a soft frown. “What are you going to tell Misha? Do you think he’ll understand?”  
   
He sure as hell hoped Misha understood. “I haven’t figured it out yet. I can’t tell him the truth unless I want to see him behind bars. Misha’s crazy enough to kill Jensen just to get me out of this mess.” Shrugging, he explained, “I’m meeting him tonight after his client goes home, so I’ll figure something out by then. Hopefully he doesn’t hate me after this.”  
   
“That’s impossible,” Megan assured Jared. “Misha loves you. And it’s pretty damn impossible to hate someone like you, Jay.”  
   
When Megan told him it was near impossible for someone to hate him, Jared felt his heart swell as he smiled. “Thanks Megs. I just hope he has the same opinion as you do.” Shaking out of his current sad mood, Jared smiled wider, dimples denting his cheeks. “So, what do you want to do until Misha calls? Huh? I think I owe you a rematch of Scrabble if you want to take me on.”  
   
A wide smile spread across Megan’s lips when Jared suggested Scrabble. “Absolutely!” she answered. “I think I can beat you this time!” Quickly, she jumped out of her chair and ran up the stairs to retrieve the game from underneath her bed.  
   
**~~**  
   
Misha sighed as he closed the door behind Mrs. Cortese. He always hated it when she came over so he could work on the piece of art she was buying off him for her husband; it just happened to be a nude painting, and Genevieve always said the most inappropriate things at the most inappropriate times. Twice now he needed to start over because she had said something lewd while he was working, which caused him to mess up.   
   
He was just happy to have her out of his apartment. Now, he could call Jared and they could go have dinner together and just relax for the rest of the night. Sighing, he grabbed his cell phone and dialed Jared’s number, frowning when the younger male didn’t answer. He left a message and then went to get a shower, figuring Jared was probably just away from his cell phone and would call back when he saw Misha rang.  
   
Sure enough, about twenty minutes later, Jared was calling him. “Hey baby,” he answered with a wide smile. “Yeah, I figured you were away from the phone. How was your nap?” Chuckling, he pulled on his shirt before he answered Jared’s question. “Yeah, I was thinking we could just get burgers down at Jerry’s Palace. I’m not really hungry for anything big. But if you are, just tell me where to meet you.” Nodding, he smiled. “All right, I’ll see you in fifteen minutes!”  
   
When he walked into the burger place and saw Jared, Misha smiled. After last night when Jared asked him to make love to him, Misha thought that was a sign that Jared was ready to take the next step in their relationship, so he had brought the ring he bought for Jared a few weeks ago. He’d been trying to think of the perfect time to propose and tonight seemed as good as any in Misha’s opinion.  
   
Quickly, he took his seat across from Jared, leaning over to kiss his boyfriend before he picked up his menu. “Sorry it took me so long to call you. Mrs. Cortez kept making lewd comments and I had to start over a few times. She’s a whacky lady; you’re lucky you didn’t stay. She would have commented on how damn sexy you are.” And then it was possible that Misha would have gotten jealous, and that would have been a bad scene.  
   
Seeing Misha, Jared couldn’t help the smile that spread across his lips. He was dreading the conversation he was going to have with the older male when dinner was ready, but for now they could act normally. “I don’t think that would have been something that I’d wanted to deal with today,” he answered with a small chuckle. “I hate it when people other than you call me sexy or even look at me like they’re thinking it.” Shuddering, he added, “It makes me feel kind of dirty.”  
   
Misha couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him when Jared told him that it made him feel dirty when other people called him sexy. “Well, at least I’m out of that category. I don’t think I could go a day without calling you sexy. Or looking at you without thinking that you’re sexy; I have a sickness, I think.”  
   
A wide smile came to Jared’s face when Misha spoke. “Hm…maybe you should get checked by the doctor for that,” he teased before he opened his menu. “I think I’m just gonna go with the bacon cheeseburger for dinner. Megan made mini pizzas for lunch. Kinda full now.”  
   
“Sounds good to me. I’m not really hungry myself,” Misha answered. He was too nervous to think about food. Really, he knew he shouldn’t be nervous because Jared loved him and it was very likely Jared would say “yes” when he asked, but there was still that pit in his stomach.  
   
The waitress came over and they both ordered their meals, Jared ordering a Pepsi and Misha ordering a root beer to drink. As they waited for their food, they told each other how their days had gone; just talked about normal things that any couple would talk about until their food came. They ate mostly in silence, both men having a lot on their minds and just trying to perfect their speeches.   
   
Finally, after Jared knew he couldn’t procrastinate any longer, he bit his lip, looking up at Misha. “I have something to talk to you about,” he explained, feeling his stomach flop and the need to run out of the room and throw up his dinner.  
   
“Yeah?” Misha asked with a smile. “I have something to talk to you about too. But you go first.” It was always nice to let Jared speak first so he got a feel of whether or not tonight was the night to ask Jared to marry him or if he should wait a few more weeks.  
   
Jared had no idea how he was going to break this news. Sighing, he gave Misha a small smile before he decided to just throw the lie out there and make it sound as convincing as possible. “Misha, I think we should take a break from each other for a while. I mean, with everything that’s going on in my life right now, I just don’t have time for such a serious relationship. I have to focus on my family.” Biting his lip in an attempt to hold back his tears, Jared added, “But I still want us to be close. It’s not like we’re breaking up, just…sort of a separation until everything calms down.”  
   
The last thing Misha thought he’d hear coming out of Jared’s mouth was that he wanted to take a break. After the night before, he thought they had made real progress and the last two years had been amazing with each other. At least he thought so, anyway. Jared apparently had other ideas. “Are you kidding me?” he asked with a small chuckle.  
   
Frowning, Jared shook his head. “No. It’s just…everything with my father and the trial. I need to take a --”  
   
“Yeah, a break! I heard you the first time, Jared!” Misha exclaimed. He hadn’t meant to sound so pissed off about it, but he hadn’t expected this and he didn’t do well with bad news unless he saw it coming. “Why don’t you just cut the bullshit and tell me you want to break up with me?!” he demanded, pushing out of his chair. Shaking his head, he continued, “You’re right, we should break up. I don’t really want to date the son of a felon, anyway.” Pulling the ring out of his pocket, Misha tossed it into Jared’s lap. “By the way, happy fucking birthday!” With that, Misha walked out of the restaurant, letting the heavy wooden door slam behind him.   
   
When Misha threw the small box into his lap, Jared caught it, jumping slightly at the harsh words Misha had spat at him. Not that he should have been surprised; he should have known there was no way this was going well. But he hadn’t expected it to go this terribly. Quickly, his cheeks flushed a deep maroon color, he ran out to his car to get away from the prying eyes of the other patrons in the restaurant.   
   
Once he was in his car, he opened the box, falling apart when he saw what was inside. He read the little note Misha had written that asked him to marry him and then pulled the ring out of the box, tears streaming down his cheeks as he looked at the inscription; MC & JP Forever- 6/25/2008-Death Do Us Part.  
   
Ring still in his hand, Jared let his head rest against his steering wheel as he sobbed, his whole body rocking from how hard he was crying. This week had been so hectic, he hadn’t even remembered today was his birthday. If he would have, then there was a chance he would have told Misha the truth and just let him kick Jensen’s ass. Jensen probably would have been too embarrassed to press charges, anyway. But now his life was going to change forever and he didn’t even know if he could handle it.   
   
He’d been with Misha for two years, side by side, damn near inseparable and now he didn’t have him anymore. How was he supposed to go on with his life knowing what he could have had if Jensen Ackles had just left him alone. Surely, there was no way he could ever forgive Jensen that was for sure. He hated the man’s guts and that was never going to change.  
   
**~~**  
   
Jared woke to the sound of knuckles rapping against glass and a man’s voice yelling that if he didn’t move it, he was going to be towed. Frowning, he rolled down his window, confused as hell as to where he was. “Huh?” he asked with a small frown.  
   
“If you don’t move your car, you’re going to get towed,” the man answered. “You’ve been here since last night! What are you doin’ kid?!”  
   
His eyes widened when the man told him he’d been here since last night. He must have fallen asleep in his car. “What time is it?” he asked, hoping to God he hadn’t slept past the time he was supposed to be at Jensen’s place.  
   
Looking at his watch, the man answered, “It’s 7 a.m. and your car’s been parked here for twelve hours. It’s against the law to sleep in your car, ya know!”  
   
Slowly, Jared gave the man a small nod. “Yeah, I just had a really bad night. I’m sorry; it won’t happen again, Sir.” He quickly shoved his keys into the ignition and started his car, speeding off in the direction of Jensen’s house. Jared made it there with ten minutes to spare, hoping that it would earn him brownie points. Maybe if he was a good boy, he’d get released early due to good behavior. Wasn’t that what usually happened in prison?  
   
A wide smile came to Jensen’s face when he opened the door and saw that Jared was standing there. “You’re early,” he stated the obvious. “Couldn’t wait to come live with me, baby?” Chuckling, he stepped aside and ushered Jared into the house. “I missed you since Thursday. You really shouldn’t have left angry. We had so much more to talk about.”  
   
When Jensen asked if he couldn’t wait to come live with him, Jared scoffed though he didn’t say anything else on the matter. Let Jensen believe what he wanted; it wasn’t like Jared had a say in any of this. “Where’s my dad?” he asked once he was inside the house. “The deal was --”  
   
“I’m well aware of what the deal was Jared,” Jensen assured him with an almost annoyed look. “Gerald is fine, I assure you. He’s at my father’s house talking about getting his job back.” Moving in behind Jared, he placed his hands on the younger male’s hips and pulled him back against his body. “I always keep my promises Jay,” he whispered hotly into Jared’s ear before he nipped the lobe gently.  
   
Quickly, Jared pulled away from Jensen, wiping his ear off. “Good to know,” he mumbled as he looked around the house. “So, do I get my own room, or do I have to share one with you?” He wouldn’t put it past Jensen to take away all of his privacy; he was sure Jensen was a control freak like that.  
   
Jensen frowned when Jared pulled away from him at the slightest show of affection, not happy by this at all. And the way Jared wiped his ear off only added to Jensen’s aggravation. They were definitely going to have to deal with that later on. “No, you have your own room. I will take you there in a little while. First, you get the grand tour.”  
   
Shaking his head, Jared answered, “I don’t want the full tour. I just want to get settled into my room.” He wanted to get as far away from Jensen as possible. In a house like this, there were surely locks on the doors, so he was looking forward to that. At least he’d get some time away from Jensen without having to worry about anything.  
   
A small frown came to Jensen’s face when Jared told him he just wanted to get settled. “Well, too bad. You don’t even have any bags. I won’t give you the grand tour, then. Just the places you’re going to be in the most.” He reached for Jared’s hand only to have the younger male flinch away from him when their hands brushed together. Again, Jensen frowned, reminding himself they were going to have to talk about that.  
   
When he realized there was no way around it, Jared sighed before he allowed Jensen to lead him around the rooms he would be using the most. He wasn’t about to budge on the idea of Jensen touching him, however, so every time Jensen reached for him Jared would pull away. It made him smile when he realized just how annoyed, possibly even angry Jensen was getting because of it. Good, he deserved to know right now that unless it was part of the agreement, he wasn’t having any of it.  
   
“So, here’s the living room. I suppose if you want to watch television, you’ll be spending a lot of time in here,” Jensen explained as he led Jared through the room. The walls were painted a light beige color and the furniture was black leather. It was a pretty nice room, not that Jared was surprised. He was more interested in the 57” plasma screen television more than anything, though.  
   
Continuing into the kitchen, Jensen explained, “And this is the kitchen. That’s Samantha, she’s the chef. She’s amazing, so don’t piss her off.” Smiling at Samantha, Jensen asked, “What’s for dinner tonight? Jared’s first night here, so something special, I presume?”  
   
Samantha turned to look at the boys when they came into the kitchen, smiling at Jensen’s comment to Jared. “Of course I’m cooking up something special for Jared,” she answered with a roll of her eyes. “I’m making roasted chicken and duck breast as well as cheesy rice and broccoli.” Turning her attention to Jared, she smiled wider. “How does that sound, sweat pea?”  
   
He decided that he liked Samantha right off the bat as soon as she spoke. She sure sounded like she was easy going and didn’t have a stick up her ass like most people who worked for rich families. “Sounds really good, thanks,” he answered with a small smile.   
   
Again, Jensen went to take Jared’s hand, nearly growling in frustration when Jared pulled away from him. “Moving on; this is the bathroom. I don’t think I have to explain anything about this room to you. Oh, and there’s Danneel. She’s the housekeeper. Really, she acts a lot tougher than she is, so don’t let her scare you.”  
   
When Jared didn’t answer him, Jensen simply rolled his eyes and led the younger male to his room. If Jared didn’t want to talk to him, that was fine. He didn’t need to talk to him to be happy. At least he was here, which was all that mattered to Jensen. “And here’s the best room in the house; my room.” Smiling, he flicked on the lights so Jared could see inside the room better. “What do you think?”  
   
Looking inside the room, Jared had to fight really hard not to make a reaction. In the center of the room, there was a huge bed that could probably fit ten people inside it if Jensen wanted to share with that many people. On the walls, there were paintings of beautiful scenery; the walls themselves were painted a rich golden color that looked surprisingly good although one wouldn’t think it would unless he saw the room. The carpet was a dark navy blue and Jared could tell just by looking at it that if he were to walk on it with his bare feet, it would be comfortable and fluffy.  
   
Of course, he couldn’t let Jensen know that he was impressed by the room, so he just shrugged. “I think it’s probably my least favorite room in the house,” he answered dryly before turning away and heading down the hallway they’d come through. This was going to be the worst few months of his life because he was probably going to be getting the best night’s sleep! Dammit, why did that bed have to look so comfortable?!  
   
Quickly, Jensen followed after Jared, grabbing his arm before he could pull away and leading him down another hallway. “Your room is back here,” he explained, rolling his eyes once more when Jared pulled out of his grasp. He opened the door to a small room with bland walls and a hard carpet. “I figured since you won’t be in this room much, this would do. I’d offer you one of the other rooms, but my staff generally stays late and sleeps here.”  
   
“This is fine,” Jared assured him, flicking the lights on to reveal the same beige walls that were in the living room. “It’s a lot better than what my room looks like now, I can tell you that much.. Spacious, too.” Turning towards Jensen, he frowned. “Oh, you’re still here? Could I have a little privacy please? I mean, it’s only polite, right? Seeing as how I’m being forced to sleep in your bed.”  
   
Jensen couldn’t help the glare that he shot towards Jared because of his attitude. “You need a serious attitude adjustment Jared,” he informed him, moving into the bedroom and pulling a stack of papers out of the closet. “Here, you’re going to need to sign this.”  
   
Frowning, Jared looked down at the papers he was being handed. “What’s this?” he asked with a small shake of his head. He may have had to drop out of college to take care of his family after his mother died, but he wasn’t stupid. And there was no way he was signing anything without reading it first.  
   
He quickly read through the pages, a frown creasing his brow before he looked up at Jensen who was holding a pen out to him. “It’s our contract. Steve drew it up for us yesterday. Sign it. Once you do, this whole thing is set into motion and your dad can get home to his daughter. Oh, by the way, I’m having the nurse head over to your house right now. Her name’s Katie Cassidy and she’s the best in the country. Gerald’s in good hands, so you don’t have to worry about it.”  
   
At the mention of his father, Jared demanded, “I’m going to have to see that he’s all right before I sign anything.” He knew how lawyers could be; he’d grown up around one of the best. And he knew Jensen would lie to get just about anything he wanted. That’s the whole reason he was here, after all.  
   
“Yeah, you can see him. But not before you sign the contract Jared.” Smiling, Jensen took a few steps closer to Jared, the younger male backing away from him as he did, causing Jared to pin himself against the wall. “In case you forgot, I’m the one running the show here. Not you. Now sign the contract, and we can go see Gerald.”  
   
How the hell could Jared forget? It wasn’t like he was here willingly. “Fine,” he growled, signing the contract that Jensen was getting all huffy over before he maneuvered his way out from between Jensen and the wall. “I want to go see him now. And just so you know, just because I’m living here, doesn’t mean I’m cut off from the outside world. I’ll be seeing my sister and my father as much as I want to.”  
   
Although he would probably never admit it, Jensen kind of loved the way Jared had the courage to stand up to him. It was damn sexy. “All right, I won’t stop you. I’d never tell you that you couldn’t see your family, Jared. I’m not an asshole.” Taking the contract from Jared, Jensen dropped it off in his study before he led Jared outside. “Come on, Jeff’s waiting for us out back,” he explained. “Jeff’s the driver; if you ever need to go anywhere just ask him and he’ll take you. Just remember that you can’t stay gone forever, baby.”  
   
Rolling his eyes, Jared climbed into the car. He only had to deal with this for six months; he could do it. Sure, it was going to be hard as hell, but he was going to make sure to handle it. And he was also going to make Jensen’s life as miserable as he possibly could for the next six months. After all, if Jared had to be miserable, it was only fair Jensen had to share in the misery.


	4. Chapter Four

“Are you sure about this Jensen?” Jeff asked as they waited for Jared to come back out of the house. “I mean, I understand that you like the kid, but is forcing him to stay at your house like this really the right way to show your affection?”  
   
Jensen rolled his eyes when Jeff asked if this was the right thing to do. Now, Jensen loved Jeff like he was his father, actually he probably loved him more than his own father, but he hated it when they had conversations like this. “Jeff, can we just not have one of these conversations right now? You’ll see when he gets all settled that I’m not as bad as you think I am for doing this.”   
   
Smiling softly, he added, “And I don’t just like him, Jeff. I’m in love with him. Jared feels the same way about me, too; he just doesn’t realize it yet. We just had a rough patch and we need to get through it.” As he sat back in his seat, he assured his friend, “He’ll get over this and we’ll live happily ever after, or whatever. You’ll see.”  
   
Although he wanted to believe Jensen, Jeff just couldn’t find it in him to do so. Nevertheless, he answered, “I have no doubt Jen. But I want to take this time to say just one thing; I don’t approve of your methods here. It’s wrong to make Jared stay with you like this.”  
   
Again, Jensen rolled his eyes at Jeff’s comment. And Jeff didn’t even know the half of it; he wasn’t going to know all of the terms in the contract because Jensen didn’t want him giving him that look that he got when Jeff didn’t approve of something but didn’t want to say anything. Like Jensen’s many sexual conquests, for one. “I don’t need your approval,” he answered with a sigh. “I just need your support, which I have, right?”  
   
Slowly, Jeff nodded. “Of course you have my support,” he assured him with a smile. He may have thought it was an asinine thing to do, but he was still one of Jensen’s closest friends, and he supported him in everything he did. “Have you told Chris about this genius plan of yours, yet?” he asked with a small chuckle. After all, Chris and Jensen were practically inseparable.   
   
When Jeff asked about Chris, Jensen frowned as he shook his head. “I haven’t talked to Chris since Jared got here. But I’m sure Steve told him about it and I’ll be getting a phone call soon enough. Chris always wanted to meet the infamous Jared Padalecki.” Chuckling, he rolled his eyes. “He’s such a freak sometimes.”  
   
**~~**  
   
Jared looked around his room one last time before he flicked the lights off and walked down the stairs, bags in hand. He really didn’t bring a lot, only about half of what was in his room. The ring Misha had given him the night before was tucked into the front pocket of his sleep bag right next to the condoms and lube he’d bought the night he slept over at Misha’s place. As soon as he was out of this contract, he was going to make things right with Misha and use those items in his bag. But until then, he had to suck it up and get through the next six months.   
   
Once he was downstairs again, he gasped when he suddenly had an armful of Megan. “You have to call me every day. Maybe every hour. And you have to answer if I call you. I don’t care what Jensen has you doing at the moment; if I call, you answer,” Megan ordered, her hands fisted at the back of Jared’s T-shirt collar.  
   
“Of course I will,” Jared assured her with a slight frown. “I’m not just going to ignore you because I’m being forced to live with Jensen.” Pulling back, he smiled. “And you have to come over. Sometime when Jensen is really busy with important work so we can annoy the hell out of him. Teach him a lesson.”  
   
Smiling, Megan nodded. “Absolutely. Maybe he’ll let you come home early if we annoy him and threaten his job because of it.” She could hope, at least.   
   
He nodded happily, wishing that would happen. But he knew Jensen would never do that. If anything, he would just take away his privileges so Jared couldn’t hang out with his family. “I’m going to go see the nurse staying with Dad and then I’m outta here, kiddo. Call me later and we’ll set up a day for you to come over, all right?”  
   
When Megan nodded, Jared returned the gesture before he kissed her cheek and walked into their father’s room where he was resting. “Hi,” he greeted the woman standing over the vanity and checking his prescriptions. “My name’s Jared, I’m his son.”  
   
The woman smiled when Jared greeted her. “Oh yes, I know who you are, Jared; Jensen’s boyfriend, right? I was so sorry to hear about your father. I just want to let you know that I’m going to do everything I can to make sure he’s cared for while you’re away.” Rolling her eyes, she smiled before thrusting her hand out towards Jared. “God, I’m such an idiot; I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Katie Cassidy. I’ve been a live-in nurse for five years and some even call me the best in the state.”  
   
Jared took Katie’s hand and smiled sheepishly before he corrected, “Best in the country is what I heard. I hope it’s true. I don’t want anything to happen to my father. He and my sister are the only family I have left.”  
   
Again, Katie smiled at Jared. “Don’t worry about him, Jared,” she explained. “I can assure you he’s in the best hands.” She was very confident in herself, even if she didn’t let all of that confidence shine through. Some may have called her cocky, but she knew better. It was all genuine confidence. Frowning, she asked, “I was looking over his medication and I can’t say that I’ve ever seen such a cocktail. I’m a little unclear on what’s wrong with your father, so if you could clear that up for me, everything should go swimmingly.”  
   
Nodding, Jared answered, “Oh yeah, he has a severe heart condition. It’s rare, so the doctor’s don’t know much about it right now, but they’re working on it. He has to take those blue pills twice a day, once in the morning and once at night before he goes to bed. Those yellow pills are for when he’s feeling particularly under the weather; he can have one of those if he needs it. The little red and white ones are there for emergencies only. If he’s having a heart attack, he needs to take one of those as soon as possible; it helps to prevent him from dying on the way to the hospital. And those big white ones are his vitamins. He takes one of them every morning with breakfast.”  
   
Quickly, he moved over to the night stand and pulled the drawer open. “This is where I keep all of his appointments logged. He can’t miss any of them, so please make sure you keep up with that. Uh, I write down anything that sounds important and needs to be remembered right in the back of this book here and I’d really appreciate it if you would call me with updates after his appointments, please?”  
   
She felt like she was holding the weight of the world on her shoulders as Jared explained what he did every day to take care of his father. It hurt her heart slightly to know that this must be how Jared felt every day; and then he took care of his sister, too so this was just half of it. Jensen was such a great boyfriend for taking Jared to live with him for six months. By the looks of things, Jared could use a break from his life. “Don’t worry; I’ll take good care of him until you come home. I promise. And I’ll make sure to keep you updated.”  
   
“Well I better get back to Jensen,” Jared smiled as he pulled away from Katie. “If there’s a problem, just call me. I’ve been taking care of him for almost twenty years, so I can handle anything that goes wrong.” Gerald had fallen sick when Jared was eight years old. And then his mother had passed away in a car accident, leaving all of the responsibility on him because his brother had been at a fancy private school preparing for his future.  
   
As he walked out of the house, there was a heavy pain in his chest at the idea of not being here to monitor everything that was happening. Katie seemed nice enough, but there was no guarantee she was as good as she claimed she was. If anything happened to his father and he wasn’t around to at least try to help, he would never forgive himself.   
   
With a frown on his face, he climbed into the back of Jensen’s car beside the older male, making sure he didn’t touch Jensen. If possible, he hated him now more than before because this made it real. He was actually leaving his family and there was a strange woman in there with his father’s life in her hands.   
   
Jensen tapped the back of Jeffrey’s seat to let him know Jared was in the car and they should be moving as he rolled his eyes. “I don’t know, maybe. It depends on how he feels tonight, I guess.” He nearly growled in frustration as he listened to the man on the other end of the phone. “Chris, you guys are coming over for dinner tomorrow night.” Pause. “Samantha doesn’t like you, that’s the problem.” Again, he rolled his eyes. “Fine, you caught me. She does like you guys. Come over tonight, too. I don’t care what you guys do. When do the two of you ever listen to me anyway?” Chuckling he finished, “Yeah, I’ll see you around six. Don’t mess with him, though. He’s been moody, all right? Mmhm, bye Chris.”  
   
Turning his attention to Jared, Jensen smiled. “So, did you get everything squared away? You meet Katie? She’s pretty awesome, huh?” It had taken him four hours to track her down, so she better have been worth it.  
   
Instead of answering Jensen verbally like Jared knew Jensen wanted him to, the younger male merely nodded before turning his attention to whatever looked interesting outside the window. The contract may be forcing him to act all loving with Jensen in public and have him sleeping in the same bed with Jensen and demanding that he let Jensen violate him; but there was nothing in the contract that said Jared had to speak to Jensen when they are alone.  
   
So, Jared was still all about ignoring him? Well, Jensen didn’t care; or at least he was trying not to care. He just had to keep reminding himself that this would pass. Jared would come to his senses soon enough and then that happened, all of this would just be a bad memory, something they could look back on and laugh at until they cried. “Chris is coming over tonight with Steve,” Jensen explained, his voice taking on the tone it had when he spoke with business associates. “Dinner is promptly at six, and I expect you to be dressed nicely and out in the dining area by 5:30; there are a few things that need to be discussed before they get there.”  
   
Again, Jared simply nodded when Jensen explained the game plan for tonight. He didn’t want to be n the same house with Chris and Jensen, let alone the same room. Steve, he really didn’t know much about, so he couldn’t really determine if he liked him or not. After all, he could exactly judge the man by his job; his father worked for the Ackles’ and he was one of the nicest men Jared had ever known.  
   
The rest of the ride was done in silence. Once they were back at Jensen’s house, Jared went straight to his room, completely ignoring Jensen still. He hadn’t been allowed to carry his own bags, so Rob was now in his room. “Where should I put your bags, Mr. Padalecki?”  
   
“Uh, right on the bed’s fine; I’ll unpack everything later,” Jared answered with a small smile. “Thanks Rob,” Again, he gave the other male a smile as Rob walked out of the room. He kind of like Jensen’s staff, if he was being honest with himself. The people whom he’d met so far seemed nice; hopefully they didn’t turn out to be assholes. Jared was sure he couldn’t deal with Jensen a staff of assholes.  
   
Jared spent the afternoon locked in his room trying to make the place a little homier. After all, when he wasn’t sleeping or at some kind of event, Jared was going to be spending all of his time in this room. With any luck, Jensen would just leave him alone all day every day. But he knew better than that.  
   
At 5:30, Jared sighed as he walked into the kitchen. Dinner smelled great, which was at least a plus; even if he had to eat with people he didn’t care for, he would still get a good meal for all of his troubles. When he saw Samantha, Jared smiled. “It smells great, Samantha,” he complimented as he slid into one of the stools at the breakfast nook.  
   
Samantha smiled at Jared when he complimented the smell of her cooking. “Thanks sweetie,” she smiled before she leaned one arm on the counter and moved in closer to Jared. “I’ll bet you a hug it tastes better than it smells.”  
   
“She is the best in the county,” Jensen piped up as he walked into the room, grabbing the counter on each side of Jared, essentially pinning the younger male there. He then dipped his head and whispered in Jared’s ear, “Why don’t you and I have a little fun before dinner, baby?”  
   
When Jensen trapped him in his stool, Jared frowned. He hadn’t even heard Jensen come into the room! At Jensen’s suggestion, Jared pushed Jensen’s hands away from the counter so he could move before he stood. “How about we don’t,” he retorted as he put a few feet between himself and Jensen. “What did you want to talk to me about?”  
   
A small chuckle escaped him when Jared moved away from him.. It still bothered the hell out of him, but he’d deal with it later. Right now, they had better things to talk about. “Just the game plan for tonight,” Jensen answered with a smile. “Obviously, Steve and Chris know about our situation, but they don’t know exactly how bitchy you are being, so tone it down. I mean, one kiss won’t kill you Jared.”  
   
Frowning, Jared argued, “If they already know I’m doing this against my will, they should know that I won’t kiss you. So, I’m going to have to pass on that kiss that allegedly won’t kill me Besides, the contract only says that I have to act like we’re a couple in public. Chris and Steve aren’t public.”  
   
Now, it was Jensen’s turn to frown. Jared had a point, he supposed. “Fine. But you’re not wearing that. Chris and Steve are good friends, so you’re going to at least wear jeans without holes in the knees and a nicer T-shirt.” Looking at his watch, Jensen ordered, “It’s 5:35 right now, so they should be here in about twenty minutes. Go take a shower and get ready for dinner; make sure you look nice, or there will be spankings, baby.”  
   
Before Jensen could get too close to him, Jared quickly walked off in the direction of the bathroom. A shower sounded like a good idea; being around Jensen made him feel dirty. He made sure the shower didn’t last long, knowing that it would be better if he was out there before Chris and Steve came for dinner. Then on second thought, being out there later than six would probably piss Jensen off, so he figured he better get out there at five after.  
   
**~~**  
   
“Jared, how nice of you to join us,” Jensen bit out when Jared finally got his ass out to the table. If Jared was trying to make him angry, it was working. He had specifically told Jared twenty minutes; that was half an hour ago.  
   
He had to hide his smirk as he took his seat beside Jensen. “Well, I wanted to look nice just like you ordered me to. Isn’t that what you said, darling?” Jared explained innocently, a spark of defiance dancing in his eyes. The glare he received from Jensen was definitely worth the punishment he would more than likely be getting later.  
   
Chris couldn’t hold back this laughter when Jared back sassed Jensen. In all of the years he had known Jensen, no one had ever talked back to him other than Chris and then Steve after they got together. Most people were scrambling to kiss Jensen’s ass; not make him look like an ass.  
   
When Chris laughed at the comment, Jensen glared at him. That just made Chris laugh harder, so Jensen just gave up, going to work on his food. The sooner this was over, the better Jensen would feel. He hadn’t even wanted to do this until Jared got a little more used to this situation; but once Steve and Chris got something in their heads, it was nearly impossible to get it out.  
   
The rest of the meal was done more or less in silence. Every now and then, Chris would ask Jared a question and Jared would give him a one-worded response, which really pissed Jensen off. These were his friends, and he expected Jared to treat them better than he was right now. Just another thing he needed to add to the growing list of things to talk to Jared about.  
   
At around 11:30, Chris and Steve were about to call it a night. Jared had gone to his room about an hour ago with some excuse that he was tired. “I like him,” Chris smirked as he stood just outside the door. “He’d got enough balls to stand up to you, so that makes him pretty damn awesome in my book.”  
   
Chuckling, Jensen shook his head. “Of course you’d like him,” he muttered with a roll of his eyes. “I’ll see you tomorrow, man. Don’t forget that my dad’s going to be at this thing, so don’t act like an idiot. You know how he gets.” When Chris just rolled his eyes and walked to the car where Steve was waiting, Jensen called, “I mean it, Chris!”  
   
Another chuckle worked its way past Jensen’s lips as he closed the door, locking it. Sighing, he walked back to Jared’s room, knuckles rapping against the door. “Jay, I’m going to bed, c’mon,” he ordered before he leaned against the door frame,, waiting for Jared to answer the door.  
   
A few moments later, Jared’s head popped out from behind the door. “You’re not dressed for bed,” he assured him, noticing that Jensen was still wearing the clothes he’d been wearing during dinner. “You can come get me once you are; I don’t need or want to watch you change.”  
   
Before Jared could close his door again, Jensen slapped his palm against the door. “Actually, I am ready for bed. I sleep naked, so it’ll only take a few minutes. Now c’mon, we have things that need to be discussed before we can go to sleep. I don’t want to be up all night, either.”  
   
Jared rolled his eyes when Jensen told him that he slept naked; of course he did. “Fine,” he mumbled before opening his door all of the way and following Jensen to his room. Really, he didn’t care what Jensen wanted to talk about, knowing that it was just going to be something useless, in his opinion and he probably wouldn’t listen anyway.  
   
Once they were in Jensen’s room, Jensen closed the door and started unbuttoning his dress shirt. “I have a party to go to tomorrow night. It’s Mackenzie’s birthday and my parents planned this huge event. I expect you to follow the rules while we’re there.”  
   
“It’s not like I have a choice, right?” Jared grumbled as he looked around the room. Surely, he wasn’t going to lie on that bed until Jensen told him he had to. If it were up to him after all, he would be lying in his own bed, or Misha’s, where he was happy.  
   
Shrugging, Jensen answered, “See it however you want Jared, I just need to make sure you don’t act like you’ve been acting all damn day.” Now was as good a time as any to address what Jared was doing wrong, Jensen supposed. Maybe Jared would see the error of his ways and start acting like a normal human being. Then again, he probably wouldn’t.  
   
When Jensen spoke, Jared scoffed. “How the hell else do you want me to see it Jensen? You’re keeping me here against my will because you have power over me. I don’t have a choice in what goes on because if I make one wrong move that violates your precious contract, you kill my father, basically!” Shaking his head, he asked, “What would you call that? Free will?”  
   
Calmly, Jensen stated, “I’m not arguing with you right now Jared. It’s late and I just want to get into bed and relax. Can you do that?” Chuckling, he continued, “You know, I think I liked it better when you were ignoring me. Which, by the way, that’s going to stop. When I talk to you, you’re going to talk back to me. Conversation is key in any good relationship Jared!”  
   
Again, Jared snorted out a laugh. “That’s rich Jensen,” he assured him. “This isn’t even a relationship – it’s nothing close to one; it’s control! In a relationship, you love someone unconditionally – give them freedom; you don’t force them into a relationship by threatening them! I don’t want to be here and I want you to know that. I’m not here for your benefit. I’m here against my will and nothing you can do or say is going to change that. Nowhere in the contract does it say I have to talk to you when we’re alone. In public, yes. But when we’re alone, I don’t have to say a damn word to you, and I certainly don’t have to be nice or even look at you. And I intend on exercising that right since it’s one of the very few I have left.”  
   
Now, Jensen was getting upset. “You didn’t have to take the deal, Jared!” he yelled back. “You could have taken your chances at the trial; no one was twisting your arm. But you chose this path and dammit, we’re going to do things my way! If you don’t like it, you can just fucking leave right now.”  
   
God, he wished he could have left right then. But he knew there was no way he would ever win a case against the Ackles family. “I can’t do that and you know it. You’re just trying to throw it in my face that I’m stuck here because you want to put me back in line. Well, let me just let you in on a little secret, Jensen; no matter what horrible thing you do to me, I’m staying. You’re not throwing my father in jail; I won’t let you. So you might as well just stop trying pretend I’m free to leave; we both know that’s a lie. I’m here for six months and I intend to make these six months the absolute worst of your entire existence.”  
   
Smiling, Jensen moved in closer to Jared. “Keep talking dirty baby,” he cooed. “It’s making me hard in all the right places.” When Jared just gave him one of those adorable bitch faces he’d mastered over the years, Jensen chuckled as he stripped out of the rest of his clothes. He then climbed into the bed, patting the empty space beside him so Jared knew that he wanted him to sleep on that side. “Come on in here, Jared. This side of the bed’s not going to keep itself warm.”  
   
Reluctantly, Jared climbed into the bed beside Jensen, trying to keep his distance thought Jensen made it next to impossible when he rolled over closer to him. His whole body tensed when Jensen wrapped his arm around him and pulled him up close against his own body. Right then, Jared knew something bad was going to happen, and he dreaded it more than he thought he was going to.  
   
Jensen could feel how tense Jared got the minute he touched him, and it kind of hurt his feelings a little bit. It wasn’t like Jared didn’t know this was coming; wasn’t like they hadn’t done it before. Last time, Jared had enjoyed it Jensen was sure, and this time it was going to be ever better. Jensen was experienced back then, but now he was even more experienced and he knew how to make his partner’s experience heightened.  
   
He used the arm he had around Jared to turn the younger male’s body so he was lying on his back before Jensen moved to lie half on, half off Jared. “Just relax baby,” he whispered as jade green gazed down into champagne hazel. If Jensen didn’t know any better, he would have guessed that was fear in Jared’s eyes. But there was nothing for Jared to be afraid of. “I’m going to make this so good for you; you’re going to be the one to ask for it next time.”  
   
Actually, that was kind of funny. Jared knew for a fact, there was nothing Jensen could do to make him ask if they could have sex. He’d do it because that’s what the contract said, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to enjoy it. In all honesty, Jared was sure he wouldn’t even have an orgasm. “Don’t bank on it,” he retorted before he closed his eyes and tried to just imagine this was Misha and not Jensen.  
   
Again, Jensen chuckled before he dipped his head and kissed Jared’s neck. The last time they’d been together, Jensen discovered that Jared loved it when his neck was given attention. And if the sound of Jared’s low moan was any indication, he still liked it when his neck was attacked. The kiss turned into little nips and love bites before Jensen pulled back and admired his handy work. Jared was going to have to figure out a way to cover those marks if they weren’t gone before the party tomorrow. His father had one rule; I don’t care who you choose to fuck Jensen, but I better not be able to tell you had a good time if I meet any of your partners. Jensen tried to stick to that rule if it could be helped.  
   
Although the very thought of Jensen touching him, even in a non-sexual way made Jared want to gag, when the older male kissed his neck, Jared forgot that he was pulling away every time Jensen tried something on him and just let Jensen have his way with him. Really, it was cheating because Jensen knew how Jared got when his neck was put into the play. However, when Jensen tried to kiss him, and his neck wasn’t being abused anymore, Jared quickly turned his head so Jensen missed and kissed his cheek.  
   
“That,” Jensen started as he grabbed Jared’s jaw and forced his head back to where it had been a few minutes ago, “is another thing that’s going to stop. I’m a touchy-feely kind of guy when it comes to you Jared, so I’m going to be kissing and touching you even when we’re not in public. So quit pulling away from me.” Dipping his head once more, Jensen kissed Jared’s lips softly. “Just let this happen, Jay. Stop fighting me at every corner.”  
   
Jared wasn’t sure that was even an option, but he knew he had to try. After all, he was the one who had signed the contract, even if he didn’t have a choice in the matter, really. So, he just relaxed as much as he possibly could have and allowed Jensen to kiss him again, lips parting when Jensen’s tongue slid along the seam, pressing lightly as it begged for entrance.  
   
When Jared’s lips parted, Jensen thrust his tongue into the younger male’s mouth, mapping out the hot cavern hungrily. He knew once Jared just relaxed, this was going to be the best sex he’d ever had. Only when he needed oxygen did Jensen pull back, breaths panting out against Jared’s lips. “You’re so fucking hot Jay,” he breathed, dipping his head to attack Jared’s neck once more. “God, I want you so bad.”  
   
The words Jensen was saying were flattering enough, but Jared didn’t care; he didn’t want to hear them. It was only making him think this whole thing wasn’t only about sex and he didn’t want to be thinking that because it made him hate Jensen a little bit less. When he was being more or less raped, those were not thoughts that he wanted going through his head.  
   
He felt Jensen’s hands sliding up his T-shirt, causing him to flinch slightly. At the whispered “shhh” from Jensen however, Jared forced his body to relax once more. But that didn’t change the fact that he didn’t want this. He wanted to just disappear right now, but he reminded himself once more than he was the one who got himself into this mess. Maybe he deserved what was happening to him right now because he had gotten drunk that one time and regrettably had sex with Jensen.   
   
So, now he was being punished for it. A lesson to him that drunken sex was bad and he should have never allowed something like that to happen. Better late than never to realize something like this, he supposed.  
   
Slowly, Jensen pulled back away from Jared, eyes once again meeting and locking with Jared’s. Licking his lips, he whispered, “Tell me you want this, Jared. Because I want you too much to stop right now, but I’m not going to rape you.” Leaning down, he brushed his lips against Jared before he repeated, “So tell me you want this; want me as much as I want you.”


	5. Chapter Five

Tell him he wanted this?! Jared knew there was no way he could say something like that without choking on the words. But if he didn’t say it, he knew there was a chance Jensen would stop and then Jared would be in violation of the contract, which could have his father back in prison faster than Jared could say No wait, I changed my mind Jensen, I want you! Surely, Jared couldn’t allow that to happen. So, he swallowed his pride before he mumbled, “I…I want this. I want you as much as want me, so just do it.” And get it over with. But he was good, and didn’t add that last part.  
   
Jensen didn’t need to be told twice; as soon as Jared said the words, Jensen crushed his lips against Jared’s again and devoured his mouth once more. Jared tasted so good, and after having those words roll off his tongue, Jensen was sure the younger male tasted even better. Of course, he was about ninety eight percent sure that was all in his head.  
   
His hands found their way to the hem of Jared’s T-shirt once again before he started to remove the offending fabric. Once the shirt was off, something shiny sitting over Jared’s heart caught Jensen’s eyes. Slowly, he reached for it, wanting to see what it was more closely only to have Jared freak out.  
   
“Don’t touch that!” Jared snapped as he slapped his hand over the ring around his neck. Earlier that day, Jared had put the engagement ring Misha gave him on a chain so he could always feel like he had Misha with him; even when they were miles apart and fighting. And he didn’t want Jensen to put his hands on it. “Please, just don’t touch it.” Swallowing, he mumbled, “Just kiss me again.” He would have said anything to get the older male’s attention off the ring.  
   
When Jared told him not to touch the ring, Jensen was just about ready to demand Jared explain why he was freaking out about some damn ring on a chain. If he was worried Jensen would break it, he didn’t know why because Jensen could have bought him another necklace that was so much better. However, when Jared told him to just kiss him again, all other thoughts left his head as he leaned down and crushed their lips together again, tongue instantly pushing into Jared’s mouth to tangle with Jared’s own tongue.  
   
Slowly, his hand came up so he could brush his thumb against Jared’s nipple, moaning softly into the younger male’s mouth when he felt the nub pebble beneath his finger. He pulled back slowly, smiling down at Jared. “You are so beautiful,” he whispered as he brushed the back of his knuckles across Jared’s cheek. Jensen almost made the mistake of telling Jared that he loved him, but he quickly snapped his mouth shut before he said anything.   
   
Feeling Jensen’s hand against his cheek, Jared turned away as he closed his eyes. He wished Jensen would just stop talking so he didn’t have to try so hard while he was trying to imagine Misha. Jensen didn’t sound anything like Misha. “Can you just do it?” he asked, bottom lip caught between his teeth. “Stop talking and just…fuck me already?”  
   
A small smile came to Jensen’s lips when Jared told him to just fuck him already. “Yeah, I can definitely do that,” he assured him with a smile. Quickly, his hands moved down to Jared’s jeans, popping the button and dragging the zipper down. He then tucked his thumbs into the waistband of Jared’s jeans and boxers, tugging the denim and cotton down the younger male’s thighs. “Lift up for me baby,” he whispered before he suckled on the skin at Jared’s neck.  
   
Jared did as he was told, wanting to just get this over with as quickly as possible. He really tried to hate the attention Jensen was giving his neck, but it was harder than he thought. Luckily, Jensen pulled away from him before the moan that wanted to escape him actually succeeded.   
   
As he fumbled around for the lube he knew was in the drawer, Jensen wrapped his hand around Jared’s cock, stroking the younger male almost teasingly. After all, Jared wasn’t even hard yet so Jensen needed to get with the program. Finally, Jensen found the lube, popping the cap open with his thumb as he kissed down the center of Jared’s chest.   
   
Once he reached Jared’s navel, Jensen swirled his tongue around his belly button before thrusting his tongue inside. After a few moments, Jensen moved down lower, tongue slipping out of Jared’s belly button before Jensen nuzzled the juncture where Jared’s thigh met his groin. He wanted to tell Jared how damn hot he looked right now, but Jared had told him to be quiet, more or less.  
   
Quickly, Jensen spread the lube over his fingers as he pushed apart Jared’s legs. His finger then gently rubbed against Jared’s hole, getting it all slick with lube. “Mm…you ready baby?” he asked, finger pressing a little more firmly against the younger male’s entrance. At Jared’s barely-there nod, Jensen pushed his index finger into Jared’s ass, thrusting in and out slowly.  
   
When Jensen pushed his finger inside him, Jared hissed in a mixture of pain and pleasure. It had been so long since Jared had done this; he’d forgotten how damn weird it felt. He tried to relax so it wouldn’t hurt so much, but it was harder than he figured it would be since his whole body was so tense. Much to horror, however, his hips were bucking into Jensen’s hand and his dick was growing harder by the minute.  
   
“God, you’re so tight baby,” Jensen moaned as he added a second finger. “What’s the matter Jay, Misha not taking good enough care of you?” He scissored his fingers inside Jared a few times before adding a third finger, stretching Jared so the younger male would be able to handle his cock.  
   
At the mention of Misha not taking care of him, Jared glared at Jensen. “He takes care of me just fine,” he snapped, hurt by the slight of Misha. “We have a relationship above sex; we don’t need sex to make us happy, but you wouldn’t understand.” Moaning softly, Jared finished, “That’s what real love is all about.”  
   
Pulling his fingers from Jared’s ass, Jensen shrugged. “Where’s the fun in that?” he asked as he squeezed more lube into his pal, quickly stroking himself a few times to get his cock slick. Je then lined himself up with Jared’s entrance and slowly pushed in, the hand stroking Jared never breaking pace. “Every healthy relationship involves sex. Without it, you’re life is dull and uneventful.”  
   
Jared rolled his eyes when Jensen asked where the fun in a no-sex relationship was. Of course Jensen Ackles wouldn’t know anything about that. He probably never passed up an opportunity to have his dick inside someone. “Life isn’t just about sex, nor are relationships. We find other things to do; like talk and get to know each other before we jump into bed together. I want to know I love and trust the man I’m going to marry and be with. Something I’m sure you have no idea about, am I right? All those nights of meaningless sex, I’m sure that makes you feel really loved Jensen, I wonder if any of them know your name or remember you? They probably just think you were a spoiled rich boy who was good at sex and nothing much else. That’s pretty sad, isn’t it Jensen.”  
   
Although it was more or less true, Jensen didn’t want to admit it. So, he turned the conversation in another direction. “So, let me get this straight. You haven’t had sex with anyone since me. Like four years ago? How the hell does a guy manage to do that?”  
   
Again, Jared rolled his eyes when Jensen asked how a guy managed to not have sex for four years. “It’s quite simple, actually. How do you think men who believe in abstinence go through their lives until they find the one?” He had been planning on being abstinent; that was until Jensen got him drunk and fucked him at that party. However, after that he was still going strong. Until now because he was being forced to do this so his father stayed out of jail. “There are better things to do with your time than letting someone fuck you, Jensen.”  
   
As Jensen gave an experimental thrust, he laughed. “Yeah, whatever you say. Clearly, you don’t remember having sex with me because if you did, I am about ninety five percent sure you wouldn’t feel that way.” Leaning down, he smiled as he whispered, “If you can honestly tell me I’m not the best you’ve ever had after tonight, then I won’t make you have sex with me for a week and a half. That’s how confident I am that you’ll like it.”  
   
He highly doubted Jensen would stick to his word, but Jared closed his eyes and nodded regardless. When Jensen had given that small thrust, it had felt a little less awkward and a lot less painful, so he knew it was coming soon; therefore, he wanted to be out of his mind at the moment and somewhere happy and warm. Somewhere with Misha. He sure as hell didn’t want to be here living with this memory of his rape.  
   
At Jared’s nod, Jensen smiled. He knew for a fact that he would be the best Jared ever had because he was apparently the only Jared ever had, so he wasn’t worried about making nice on his bet. When he felt Jared was ready, he pulled almost all the way out of him before thrusting back in, the hand that was stroking Jared’s cock sliding up the younger male’s body to tweak and pinch his nipples once more.   
   
After a few more thrusts, Jensen buried his face in Jared’s neck, lips skimming over the sensitive flesh as he angled his hips and thrust in harder, cock jabbing against Jared’s prostate each time he pushed into him. His hand once again moved to stroke Jared’s cock before his free hand wrapped around the younger male’s back, stroking up and down as a soft moan escaped him.  
   
When Jensen started thrusting into him harder and faster, Jared’s whole body started moving with Jensen’s thrusts, forcing the younger male to press his hand against the headboard to keep himself from cracking his head open on the hard wood. As his body moved, the ring around his neck slid up to the hollow of his throat and then back down to the center of his chest, repeating the action with each motion. It was probably a bad idea to wear the necklace while he was letting Jensen ravage him because it only made him think of Misha.  
   
“Ungh…Jared,” Jensen moaned against the younger male’s neck. Pulling back, he looked at Jared’s face before he mumbled, I’m gonna cum baby. Oh God…cum with me, Jay.” The hand stroking Jared’s cock started to move faster, hips thrusting a little more erratically as Jensen’s orgasm came up on him.   
   
Even as he moaned and bucked his hips into Jensen’s hand and back against his cock, Jared couldn’t stop the tears that were flowing out of his eyes. Luckily, Jensen had shoved his face into the crook of Jared’s neck so he couldn’t see the tears. There was nothing in the contract about Jared enjoying the sex, but he didn’t think Jensen would be too happy if he was crying while he was trying to make him feel good. However, when Jared felt Jensen pulling away from his neck, he quickly pressed his face into his arm that was pressing against the headboard, hiding his tears.   
   
Misha may have dumped him, but it still felt like he was cheating him because Jared didn’t see them as broken up yet. It was very possible he would never see them as broken up because he had every intention of going to Misha and explaining to him why he’d done what he had after this six months was up. Then, he’d beg for Misha to understand and if all went well, they’d be back together before the night was through.  
   
Nevertheless, when Jensen came inside him, that last thrust hit Jared’s prostate hard, causing heat to pool low in his belly, his body tense as his balls drew up tightly against his body before the first ribbon of cum shot out of Jared’s cock, wetting Jensen’s hand and coating both their bellies. He continued to moan softly as Jensen skimmed his lips gently over Jared’s neck, his kisses like a barely there whisper.  
   
Once Jensen came down from his high, he rolled off Jared onto his back beside him. His breathing was still slightly heavy and he had a wide smile on his face. That was definitely the best sex he had ever had, so he knew there wasn’t even a chance it wasn’t Jared’s. He didn’t even feel he had to ask. Jared would have probably lied, anyway since he seemed to be intent on hating Jensen’s guts at the moment. But he was still happy with it. And given time, Jared would come around. Jensen was sure of it.   
   
As soon as Jensen rolled off him, Jared turned onto his side away from the older male, quickly wiping his tears from his face. He couldn’t believe that he had actually cum! How could he cum when Jensen had forced him to do all of that? It made no sense. Jared didn’t want Jensen; he knew that but why didn’t his body listen? It was like his body had betrayed him in some kind of sick joke and now Jensen would probably think Jared loved it, loved him, but it had felt like the some degrading experience of his life, regardless of how his body acted.   
   
Actually, he hated it because it was Jensen who was all over him. But now, it wasn’t Jensen that he hated; well, some of it was, sure. Mostly, however, if was himself. If he reached his climax that meant something inside him had liked what Jensen was doing to him, which made him feel sick and dirty. What kind of a fucked up person enjoyed being raped?! Apparently, he did.  
   
Slowly, feeling completely sated and a lot happier than he had in years, Jensen spooned in behind Jared, arm wrapping around the younger male’s waist before he pressed a gentle kiss to Jared’s shoulder. “We need to wake up early tomorrow to be ready for the party in time. You and I are going shopping because my father will have a fit if you don’t look like you belong with an Ackles. So, get some rest, baby.”  
   
Getting some rest was a lot easier said than done. Jared hated the fact that Jensen was holding him like this, but he had still been wrapped up in the idea of how he could enjoy being raped, so he hadn’t pulled away. Now, Jensen had a good grip on him, and if he pulled too hard, he could have knocked both of them on the floor since he was so far over to the side on the bed. He didn’t care about that, though as he quickly, pulled away, hand shooting to the floor to help stay on the bed.  
   
“What are you doing?” Jensen asked, slightly hurt when Jared pulled away from him like that. After everything that he and Jared had just been through, he couldn’t believe that Jared was still pushing him away. “What’s wrong with you, Jared?”  
   
Shaking his head, Jared shoved his face into the pillow. “Don’t touch me. Cuddling wasn’t in the contract. You can have sex with me and I can’t do anything about it, but I’m not going to let you hold me like we’re in love. I don’t love you Jensen. And I never will.”  
   
As he listened to Jared speak, Jensen got more and more hurt with each word the younger male said. But he wasn’t about to let Jared know just how deeply those words had cut him. Quickly, he climbed out of the bed, pulling on a pair of sweat pants and heading out of the room.  
   
Once Jared was alone, he turned his head into the pillow and cried. He cried until there were no tears left in his body; and even then, he still couldn’t sleep. So, he just lied there staring at the opposite wall until the sun came up, unable to even close his eyes without seeing Misha staring at him in disgust. The fact that Jensen came in a few hours later and pressed his back against Jared’s, knowing he couldn’t move any further just added to Jared’s restlessness. He hated this more than he thought he could ever hate anything in his life.   
   
**~~**  
   
“Just come out of there. You’re acting like a girl right now,” Jensen ordered with a roll of his eyes. “I picked it out because I knew you’d look fucking hot in it so get your perky little ass out here.” He couldn’t believe that Jared was hiding in the dressing room when they had a party to get to in less than an hour.   
   
Sighing, Jared frowned as he pushed the door open and walked out, letting Jensen see what he wanted him to wear. “There, I’m out here are you happy? Can I go put my clothes back on? I feel like an idiot wearing this!” Angrily, he glared down at the suit Jensen had forced him to try on. It was a deep shade of black and he had a black dress shirt on under it. Really, it looked like he was going to a funeral with the matching black tie Jensen had given him, not a party. “It’s a party. Shouldn’t I be wearing something that’s a little less fancy?”  
   
Now that Jared mentioned it, Jensen supposed he had a point. Surely, Mackenzie wasn’t going to expect them to show up in suits. Hell, she didn’t even like it when Jensen wore a suit to the office parties. Then again, his father would be expecting them to show up in suits. Sighing, he came to a decision; he would compromise. “Okay fine,” he grumbled. “Go change back into your clothes and I’ll look around for something else. But keep that suit; we’re getting it for the other events that I have planned for us.”  
   
Although he didn’t want to, Jared kept the suit in his hands once he’d changed and started looking for Jensen. The store wasn’t all that big since Jensen stayed on the first floor, so it was easy to spot the other male. “Here,” he mumbled, handing the suit to Jensen. “You really shouldn’t bother spending so much money on me. I can guarantee I won’t be taking these clothes with me when I leave.”  
   
Jensen rolled his eyes when Jared told him not to spend so much money on him because he was going to leave them there when he left. “If you leave,” he corrected him. “I still feel that I’m going to grow on you and you’ll want to stay. And if you still decide to leave after these six months and don’t take the clothes, then I’ll just pass them along to charity, or something. No big deal.” Thrusting another shirt at Jared, he said, “Hold that up to yourself, I want to see how it looks.”   
   
Now, it was Jared’s turn to roll his eyes. He took the shirt as he was instructed to do and held it up to himself as he assured Jensen, “Believe me, I will not want to stay. I had a life before you forced your way into it and I intend to get it back. Once these six months are up Jensen, you’re just going to be a bad memory.”  
   
Nodding, Jensen pulled the shirt away from Jared and draped it over his arm. “You keep thinking that baby,” he smiled. “Whatever helps you get through the day.” Handing Jared a pair of jeans and the shirt once more, he ordered, “Go try these on. And don’t be a girl about it, either. Just come out when it’s on and be a man.”  
   
With another roll of his eyes, Jared went back to the dressing room and tried on the clothes. The jeans were a little tight, but he figured Jensen did that on purpose and the shirt hugged his torso so that his muscles were visible through the thing fabric almost. He was definitely not a fan of this outfit, but he supposed Jensen would love it. Sighing, he opened the door and walked out, arms held out at his sides as he glared slightly at Jensen.  
   
A wide smile spread across Jensen’s lips when he saw what Jared looked like in expensive, fancy clothes. That man was definitely put on this earth to wear clothes like that and Jensen was a little offended that Jared didn’t look as happy about the outfit as he was. “You look great. You’re definitely wearing that tonight. Now get dressed back into your clothes and meet me at the register with that outfit.”  
   
When Jared met Jensen at the register, he had three more shirts and five pairs of jeans he was handing to the clerk. “Oh, and those too Mike,” he smiled as he pointed to the shirt and jeans Jared was holding in his hands.  
   
As soon as Jared had a closer look at the clerk, he saw that it was Michael Rosenbaum, his best friend since the third grade. “Mike, what are you doing here?” he asked with a small frown, forgetting for a moment that he was with Jensen whose guts Mike just happened to hate more than Jared did.  
   
“I work here, remember?” Mike asked as he gave Jared a distasteful look. “What are you doing here with him?” The fact that Jared was even speaking to Jensen, let alone having him buy fancy, preppy boy clothes for him made Mike’s skin want to crawl off his body and his lunch come back up.   
   
Smiling, Jensen wrapped his arm around Jared, knowing that the younger male had to play along because they were in public. “Didn’t Jared tell you, Mikey boy? And here I thought Jared talked to his friends.” Biting his lip, he looked over at Jared lovingly, smiling once more at the pleading look the younger male was giving him. Jared didn’t want anyone else he knew to think they were dating. “Jared and I are together.”  
   
Jared’s eyes slid closed as Jensen told Mike they were together. It wasn’t bad enough that Jensen made him lie to Misha which resulted in him losing the love of his life, but now Jensen was trying to make him lose his best friend, too? Maybe next he would like to tell his sister that when Jensen raped Jared, he came against his wish that way Megan wouldn’t want anything to do with him, either. But he was in public, so he had to play along. “Yeah, I thought I told you. I guess since we haven’t talked in a while, it slipped my mind.”  
   
Slowly, Mike nodded although he wasn’t really buying any of this. The last he’d heard, Jared hated Jensen’s guts because he had more or less date raped him the last time they saw each other. And now Jared was dating the man? Something definitely wasn’t adding up there. It couldn’t have been for the money because Jared wasn’t like that. Perhaps Jensen had changed? Nah, Mike didn’t believe that for a second. People like Jensen never changed.  
   
Nevertheless, he gave Jared a small smile. “Nope, you didn’t tell me. How’s your dad been? Is he still hanging in there?” He remembered when Jared had finally opened up to him and explained why he was always so tired and so stressed out. It was an emotional time for the younger male and Mike had been there to see it all.  
   
Jared nodded when Mike asked about his father. “Yeah, he’s doing really well. Jensen was nice enough to hire one of the best live-in nurses in the county to help me take care of him.” It was one of the only good things Jensen had done since they’d met and Jared was really grateful for it. After all, it was nice to know that his father was being taken care of while he was at Jensen’s house.  
   
When Jared mentioned that he had gotten his father a nurse, Jensen felt very proud of himself. He was taking that as a compliment if Jared was willingly telling his best friend. Smiling, Jensen cupped Jared’s cheek. “Anything for my baby,” he cooed before he dipped his head and pressed his lips to Jared’s, tongue sliding along the seam of the younger male’s lips, begging for entrance. Of course, Jared didn’t allow him to tongue fuck him here, so Jensen just gave up. After all, he had at least gotten the kiss.  
   
If Mike thought he was going to lose his lunch before, now he was really in danger. “Yeah, that’s great,” he stated flatly before he handed Jensen his bags. “That’s two hundred and twenty seven dollars and thirty six cents.”  
   
Still wearing that smile, Jensen answered, “Just add that to my tab Mike.” He then took Jared’s hand and walked out of the store, chuckling softly when he saw Jared staring at him like he was crazy, Jared’s mouth slightly agape. “What?” he asked with another small chuckle.  
   
“You have a tab?” Jared asked, still staring at Jensen with that same dumbfounded look. Jared could barely afford clothes half of the time, let alone have a tab; especially in a place like this. Maybe being rich had its perks. Not that their family was poor, per se; just with the hospital bills and the medication, things were a little tight sometimes.  
   
Slowly, seeming a little confused, Jensen nodded. “Of course I have a tab. I know the owner and I buy a lot of clothes from this store,” he explained. “I probably bought over half of the clothing at my house from this store.” Smiling once more, he looked over at Jared, bumping their shoulders together. “Do I impress you?” he asked.  
   
Frowning, Jared shook his head. “Why the hell would that impress me?” he asked as he climbed into the back of the limo and took his seat as far away from Jensen as he could possibly get. “That just means you have money and you know how to use it to get what you want. It’s pathetic.”  
   
Of course it didn’t impress Jared. Nothing Jensen did ever impressed the younger male. He was just chopped liver in Jared’s world; the bad guy; for now at least. When Jared finally opened his eyes, he would see that they were supposed to be together and Jensen had just been doing him a favor all of this time. But until then, Jensen was kind of getting the short end of the stick here, if you asked him. Knocking on the dark glass separating them from Jeffrey, Jensen called, “Take us home, Jeff.”  
   
The fact that Jared was sitting on the far side of the seat, as far away from him as possible, pissed Jensen off. So, there was only one way he saw to fix that problem; move closer to Jared and beat him at his own game. He quickly slid in closer to Jared, pinning him against the back of the seat before he dipped his head and kissed Jared, not really caring where his lips landed as long as it was somewhere on the younger male’s body.  
   
Another frown came to Jared’s face when Jensen pinned him against his seat, Jared quickly turning his head when he realized that Jensen was trying to kiss him. He didn’t understand the weird obsession Jensen had with always wanting to have his lips on some part of Jared’s body. It was creepy and extremely annoying when Jared wanted absolutely nothing to do with Jensen. When Jensen’s lips pressed against Jared’s jaw, Jared moaned softly. “Stop that,” he whispered his mind in utter turmoil about Jensen’s touches. Mentally, he knew he didn’t want Jensen to touch him; however, his body had other ideas, just as it had last night.  
   
Jensen moaned softly before he feathered kisses down Jared’s neck and to his shoulder, moving the younger male’s shirt out of the way so he could kiss bare skin. “You don’t really want me to,” he assured Jared, pushing his knee between the younger male’s legs, making sure to press against Jared’s crotch.   
   
His eyes slid closed when Jensen’s lips pressed against his neck. He really needed to make Jensen stop before something bad happened. “Yes, I do,” he assured him with a small nod although he was offering up his neck to the older male instinctively. Forcing those feelings down, Jared basically crawled up the back of the seat to get away from Jensen. “I mean it. We just had sex last night, you don’t need it again.”  
   
“I can’t help it,” Jensen explained, grabbing Jared’s wrist and pulling him back down so that his ass was back in the seat where it belonged. “I get so horny when I’m around you.” His hands found their way to the hem of Jared’s T-shirt before he started pushing the material up Jared’s torso, only to have the younger male slap his hands away.  
   
Angrily, Jared glared at Jensen, making sure to keep his hands on the hem of his shirt. “I said no. We’re in the back of the limo and Jeffrey could hear us.” Plus, he didn’t want to do it, but that wasn’t a good enough excuse. After all, the contract said that Jensen called the shots when it came to sex.  
   
Seeing that Jared was serious, Jensen frowned at him. “Fine, then I want to taste you,” he argued, quickly popping the button on Jared’s jeans and dragging the zipper down before Jared even knew what was going on. However, as soon as Jared realized what Jensen was doing, he shoved his hands away once again. “Jared, it’s either I blow you, or I fuck you. It’s your choice, but if you keep acting like a blushing virgin, I’m going to choose for you.”  
   
Jared hated the fact that Jensen had so much control over him. And he hated Jensen right now for using said control. Sex – or whatever the hell Jensen wanted to do to him – was supposed to be about love and trust; not control and lust. Of course, Jensen didn’t seem to know that because he was trying to force himself on Jared once again. Now Jared was starting to rethink his decision to hide his tears last night. Maybe if Jensen would have seen exactly what he was doing to him, then the older male might have just left him alone.   
   
Then again, Jared seriously doubted it. After all, in order to feel bad about something the person doing the deed had to have a heart. Jensen seemed to be lacking in that department, Jared was sure. If the older male had a heart, he would have never forced Jared into this stupid deal in the first place. So, somewhere along the line, Jensen had lost his heart; too bad he wasn’t dead because of it. Jared probably wouldn’t have felt bad for him.   
   
No, that was a terrible thing to say. Even if Jensen was acting like a total asshole, Jared still didn’t wish him dead. He wouldn’t wish that on another human being no matter how much he disliked, even hated them. Jared just wished Jensen fancied someone else instead of him. Really, what was so special about him? Jared was just a regular guy who had dropped out of college and took care of his family. He just didn’t understand why Jensen wanted him. Nevertheless, he did, and there was nothing Jared could do to change that right now. “Fine,” Jared sighed with a roll of his eyes. “You can blow me.”


	6. Chapter Six

When Jared told him he could blow him, Jensen smiled. He wished he would have been able to bend Jared over the seat and take that sweet ass, but sucking Jared’s cock was just as good. Actually, it was probably better right now because he hadn’t done that last night. “C’mere,” he breathed as he pulled the younger male closer by his belt loops. “Let’s get these off you,” Jensen moaned as he tugged Jared’s jeans down off his hips. He then tucked his thumbs into the waistband of Jared’s boxers and pulled those down as well. Once Jared was free of clothing from the waist down, Jensen licked his lips, admiring Jared’s nakedness. “You, Jared Padalecki, are so fucking hot.”  
   
As soon as Jensen’s hand wrapped around his dick, Jared jumped, once again crawling up the back of the seat. It was mostly instinct; Jared didn’t want anything to do with this after last night. Of course, he knew he had absolutely no choice, and he’d given Jensen permission to do this, so he just acted as though his little episode never happened and sat back in his seat.  
   
“What’s wrong with you?” Jensen asked when Jared just returned to his seat and acted as though nothing had happened. There was obviously something wrong with the kid, and Jensen wanted to know what it was. After all, he did care about Jared, and if he really didn’t want to do this while Jeffrey was so close, then he would stop. There would be time at the house for a blow job as long as Jensen left it at that.  
   
Shaking his head, Jared assured Jensen, “N-Nothing. Just…do it if you’re going to.” Hopefully, Jensen couldn’t tell it was a lie because Jared wouldn’t put it past Jensen to slam him for not following the contract and have his father put back in jail. And since Jared couldn’t allow that to happen, he just had to suffer through this.   
   
So, when Jensen once again wrapped his hand around his cock, Jared closed his eyes and pictured Misha between his legs. Since he and Misha had never done anything sexual, unless you counted the make-out session they had on Misha’s couch last week, Jared had to do a lot of imagining to get the gist of what it would feel like to have Misha’s lips wrapped around him like this. After all, Misha’s lips weren’t nearly as full as Jensen’s.  
   
Jensen moaned against Jared’s length inside his mouth, the sound vibrating the younger male’s flesh, knowing that it would make the experience so much better for Jared. One hand moved to fondle Jared’s balls as Jensen allowed Jared’s cock to bottom out against the back of his throat, swallowing so Jared could feel his throat working against the head of his dick. As he sucked Jared off, Jensen’s free hand moved to his dress slacks, popping the button open with little difficulty before he dragged down the zipper. Once his pants were undone, Jensen shoved his hand into the opening, wrapping it around his own rock hard cock and stroking himself in time with his now bobbing head.  
   
The feeling of having his cock in Jensen’s mouth was almost too much for Jared. He’d never had a blow job before, and now he was pretty damned sure he knew why so many guys went down into the boiler room with the slut in his tenth grade class. It was fucking awesome! Then again, maybe that was only because Jensen had a lot of practice; well, the same thing would have been true about Carrie, or whatever that girl’s name had been. Whatever the reason, Jared was definitely enjoying himself here, hand moving to fist in the short strands of Jensen’s hair, wondering briefly when Misha had gotten a haircut and if he had complimented him on it before this started. “Oh God…Misha, m’gonna cum,” Jared warned just before he thrust up into Jensen’s mouth and coated the back of his throat with his seed.  
   
As Jensen continued to work Jared, he felt himself getting closer and closer to orgasm. He could tell from the noises Jared was making that the younger male was definitely enjoying himself, which made him so much hornier. When Jared moaned Misha’s name, Jensen would have pulled back and probably yelled at him, but then Jared was cumming, and Jensen swallowed everything the younger male had to give him greedily. His own orgasm was coming up on him then, so he stood before he warned, “Move your shirt, or I’m gonna ruin it.”  
   
Thankfully, Jared pulled up his T-shirt just in time, Jensen cumming onto the younger male’s stomach as soon as the shirt was out of the way. Once he was completely sated, he flopped back down onto the seat beside Jared, breaths panting out heavily. Slowly, his head turned so he was looking at Jared’s face, flushed a deep crimson from wither embarrassment or arousal, Jensen wasn’t sure which. “Did you just call me Misha while I was sucking your dick?”  
   
Jared merely looked at Jensen and shrugged, not really planning on admitting that to him. He knew it would only get him in trouble and Jensen had heard what he said. There was no need to repeat it. So what, anyway? Jensen knew Misha was the one Jared wanted; he shouldn’t have been surprised by the name that slipped past Jared’s lips.   
   
Soon after Jensen asked the question Jared refused to answer, the car came to a stop. Quickly, Jared climbed out of the car, knowing not to even try to carry any of the bags inside the house because here, he was the one who was being served; not the one serving. He made his way to his room, ignoring Jensen as he called for him to stop. Jared didn’t want to talk right now and he knew Jensen wouldn’t just come into his room unannounced. Or at least he hoped he wouldn’t. This room was the only privacy he had in this house.  
   
“Dammit Jared, stop!” Jensen yelled before he sighed, stopping just outside Jared’s room when the door slammed in his face. He needed to make sure nothing like this ever happened again. Sure, Jared didn’t want him, but for the younger male to moan someone else’s name while Jensen was giving him pleasure was something that Jensen wasn’t going to stand for. And Misha Collins of all people. Jared was way out of Misha’s league and it disgusted Jensen that they had even been together. Not to mention the age difference. It was just sickening.   
   
Knocking on the door once, Jensen ordered, “Be ready for the party in two hours. We can’t be late!” With that, Jensen walked off in the direction of the living room, grabbing Danneel by the arm as he walked past her. “If he leaves his room before he’s ready, I want you to come get me. I’ll be in the study working on some paperwork for this next case I’m on.” As he walked away, he turned once more, warning, “And don’t lie to me, Danni.” He wouldn’t put it past the little bitch not to come get him. She was bitter about the way he had just tossed her off after those few times they had sex. Really, she should have known that Jensen Ackles wasn’t the type to settle down. Well, unless your name was Jared Padalecki, of course.  
   
Only when it was time to leave for the party did Jared come out of his room. Although he hated it, Jared was wearing the outfit Jensen picked out for him earlier that day; a white long sleeved T-shirt and those stupid tight fitting blue jeans. He met Jensen at the door, but didn’t say a word to him, noticing that Jensen was in a suit and looked like he was pissed off about something; awesome.  
   
Neither of them spoke on the way to the party, Jensen having ordered Jeff to turn on the music very loudly as far as Jared was concerned. However, when they pulled into the lot, Jensen told Jeff to turn the music off before he turned to Jared. “Remember the rules,” he ordered, straightening the younger male’s clothes. “You love me and I love you; we’re one big happy fucking couple, do you got that?”  
   
Slowly, Jared nodded, resisting the urge to pull away from Jensen when he touched him. “Yeah, I know what I have to do. I’ll be the best damn boyfriend you ever introduced to your family. And they’ll fall in love with me; then hate you in six months when they find out what you did to me.” Smirking, Jared climbed out of the car, waiting for Jensen before he took his hand and walked into the party.  
   
He had to admit, even if he wasn’t a fan of Jensen or his family, they threw a killer party. It was obvious that Jensen enjoyed showing Jared off to about every person they came in contact with at this place. There was this one guy who stuck out – Tom Welling – he didn’t seem to be very happy for Jensen or Jared, giving Jared an almost evil glare each time he saw him. It kind of made Jared uncomfortable.  
   
Jared knew that Jensen and Tom had been together at one point, but he didn’t think that was any reason for the other male to be looking at him like that. Still, there was really nothing Jared could do about it unless he wanted to have a talk with Jensen regarding Tom’s stares. He really didn’t, so he figured he would just leave it alone for now. If it got worse, then he supposed he would have to go to Jensen.   
   
At one point in the evening, Jensen and Jared actually separated so Jensen could go get pictures taken with his family. He’d offered to have Jared in the pictures, but he had declined politely. They weren’t a real couple and there was no way they would ever be a real couple. Therefore, there was no need for Jared to be in the family photos.   
   
“Hey!” Jared heard a girl call before he was met by Alona Tal. “I didn’t think I’d see you here. I mean, Jensen may have forced you to live with him, but I never thought you would actually agree to come out with him to places like this.”  
   
When Alona spoke, Jared’s eyes widened. He didn’t think Jensen had told anyone but Chris and Steve about their little arrangement. But Alona knew, too? This was great! “Jensen told you what he was doing to me?” Jared asked, still a little baffled by the news.  
   
Nodding, Alona answered, “Yeah, he had to. I just want you to know that I am so sorry for what’s happening to you and your family. It’s all my fault.” She hung her head as she shook it sadly, her chocolate orbs filled with tears when she returned her gaze to Jared once more. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen, Jared. He didn’t tell me what his plan was until after I agreed to help him. And he threatened my job! I need that job to pay--!”  
   
Jared quickly pulled Alona into a hug as he nodded. “I know. I had a feeling he threatened to fire you unless you helped him.” Smiling at his old friend, he assured her, “I knew you would never do anything to hurt me or my family intentionally. It’s okay, you don’t have to explain to me. Just…can you answer me one question?” At Alona’s nod, Jared asked, “Who really hurt you? Was it Jensen?”  
   
At Jared’s question, Alona’s eyes widened a little. “Uh, n-no. Jensen may be an ass, but he would never physically hurt me.” Sighing, she once again hung her head. “I did it to myself. I was drunk one night and like an idiot, I went back to my apartment alone. The elevator was out of service so I had to walk up the stairs to get to my room on the third floor. Stairs plus drunken klutz equals falling and breaking my arm with a side of split head to go with it. That’s what really happened.”  
   
His eyes widened marginally when Alona explained that she had fallen down the stairs. That was insane! All of this was happening because Alona had gotten drunk and slipped down the stairs? Jared couldn’t believe it! Well, not all of it; Jensen had to have had this idea in his head before Alona fell and hurt herself. “Oh, that sucks,” he mumbled, not really sure what else to say.  
   
Sadly, Alona answered with a shake of her head, “No, you’re situation sucks Jared. Jensen is trying to get you to fall for him because of some one night stand that you apparently remember nothing about. The whole thing is pointless if you ask me, and I told Jensen that, but he doesn’t seem to care. The only thing he cares about is getting what he wants. It’s disgusting.”  
   
A small frown crossed Jared’s lips when Alona mentioned the night he and Jensen had shared. He didn’t want anyone else to know about that, dammit! “Don’t worry Alona,” Jared instructed with a small smile. “I can handle Jensen and anything he throws at me. No matter what, he’s never going to make me fall for him.”  
   
Alona smiled when Jared told her he could handle Jensen. “Good. Because I know Jensen and I know how he works. He’ll set you up to fall for him and everything will be fine for a while once you give in; but then he’ll break your heart. And I don’t want to see you suffer any more than you already have, Jay.”  
   
He was about to answer Alona before Jensen came over, arms wrapping around Jared’s waist as he pulled him in closer to him, Jared’s back flush against Jensen’s chest. “What are you two talking about?” he asked as he rested his chin on Jared’s shoulder. “Anything interesting?”  
   
“Nothing you’d want to talk about,” Jared answered with a frown. He hated it when Jensen touched him and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Apparently, Jensen liked it though because he always seemed to do it.   
   
Just as Alona was leaving, Tom came over to where Jensen and Jared were standing, a small smile on his face. “Hey Jensen,” he greeted. “Long time no see. Who’s your friend?” He and Jensen had once been a thing and tonight he had been planning on trying to get that back. But this new guy was making that a little hard.  
   
A wide smile came to Jensen’s face as he wrapped his arms around Jared’s waist tighter, pulling him more snugly against his body. “This is Jared, my boyfriend.” He leaned his head against Jared’s cheek as he feathered light kisses against Jared’s neck, just wanting to let Tom know how into Jared he really was. After all, when he had been with all of his other conquests, Jensen had never shown any of them affection unless they were in the bedroom. And he never would have done so at an event his father was also attending.  
   
Slowly, Tom nodded, fighting to keep his smile in place. Jared was getting attention like this at a public event where Jensen’s father was just a few feet away. This must have been serious. However, as he looked at Jared’s reaction to the kisses, he could tell there was something off about it. Like Jared didn’t want to be touched like that by Jensen. Perhaps that was a way to weasel his way back into Jensen’s life.  
   
Jensen’s father calling him over was the perfect distraction, Jared insisting on staying behind and waiting for the older male. “So, Jensen and I are pretty close,” Tom explained with a smile to Jared. “Maybe you and I should head over there and talk for a while?”  
   
Although everything in him was telling him to stay put and just wait for Jensen to come back, Jared nodded. “Yeah okay,” he answered, following Tom over to a dark corner where there were hardly any other guests. “S-So, what do you want to talk about?”  
   
“Oh you know, this and that,” Tom answered with a shrug. “How long have you and Jensen been dating? The two of you seemed pretty lovey dovey back there.”  
   
Why this was important, Jared had no idea, but he figured it was rude to just ignore the man, so Jared answered, “A few days now. Why?” After the words came out of his mouth, he wondered if he was supposed to lie and say they’d been together longer, but it was a little late for that now, so he just went with his first answer.  
   
Nodding, Tom answered, “I see. So you’re still in the beginning stages of Jensen’s love.” When Jared nodded, Tom frowned. “You know, I’m only telling you this because you seem like a nice kid, but you should probably get out while you still can. Jensen is a whore, to say it bluntly and he’s only using you for sex. As soon as you bend over for him, he’s going to dump you, trust me. Been there, done that. And once you’re out of Jensen’s life and he doesn’t want sex from you anymore, no one will take you. You’ll be Jensen’s used goods and no one wants sloppy seconds.” Shrugging, Tom added, “I just thought you should know.”  
   
With a smile, Tom continued, “And really, I don’t why you want to be with someone like Jensen. You seem so innocent and Jensen’s anything but. It’s the money, right? I get it, Jensen’s filthy rich and he must buy you nice things with his cash. Don’t be ashamed, most people go out with Jensen for his wealth. I didn’t, of course. I actually love Jensen and when he’s done with you, he’ll come back to me. It’s only a matter of time Jared. You should get out while you still can.”   
   
When Tom suggested that Jared was only dating Jensen for the wealth, Jared’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “I am not one of those money hungry whores, Tom. I know you really don’t know anything about me, but I’m dating Jensen because of the way I feel about him; not because of how deep his pockets are!” Pointing his finger at Tom, he added, “And don’t talk about Jensen like that. Sure, he may like to have sex with a lot of different people, but that doesn’t make him a bad person! He’s just a man who likes to have a good time so don’t judge him!”  
   
“Hey, is everything all right back here?” Jensen asked, frowning as he looked at Jared then Tom and then back to Jared. “I heard you yelling. You all right baby?”  
   
At Jensen’s question, Jared jumped slightly, not having known Jensen was behind him. God he really hoped Jensen didn’t hear any of that; Jensen didn’t need to know what Jared said while sticking up for the older male. “Yeah, we’re fine. Everything’s fine; Tom was just telling me a story about your high school days and I guess I got a little carried away while asking if he was serious. You know, it’s getting kind of late and I’m a little bit tired. Can we go home now, please?”  
   
Smiling, Jensen nodded. “Yeah baby, we can go home,” Jensen answered softly. He had plans for Jared when they got back to the house; plans that he was going to enjoy very much. “Jeffrey should be around here somewhere. It’s just a matter of finding him. C’mon, shouldn’t be too hard. Bye Tom.”  
   
Once they found Jeffrey and said their goodbyes, Jensen and Jared were back in the limo and back to ignoring each other. In a way, Jared kind of liked it. He never wanted to listen to anything that came out of the older male’s mouth anyway, so it was best Jensen just saved his breath. On the other hand, all of this quiet time gave Jensen more time to think. And thinking led to plotting, which scared the hell out of Jared.   
   
About twenty minutes later, Jensen mumbled, “We’re going to bed as soon as we get back. You’re gonna sleep naked, too so that I can rub my hands all over your bare flesh. No arguments.”  
   
“That’s not in the contract,” Jared stated with a shake of his head. They were no longer in public, so Jared could do or say whatever he pleased since he didn’t have to pretend to be with Jensen. “I’m not sleeping naked. I can’t; it’s not comfortable.”  
   
Rolling his eyes, Jensen said, “You slept in the nude last night. I remember because you were plastered against me.” Technically, that was Jensen’s doing since he grabbed the younger male as soon as he thought Jared was asleep and fell asleep himself after he came back into the room the night before. Still, he’d slept naked regardless.  
   
A small frown creased Jared’s brow before he admitted, “I hardly slept last night. Maybe an hour or two off and on, but that’s it.” He turned his attention to Jensen before he added, “So I don’t sleep naked. I at least need my boxers on.”  
   
Again, Jensen rolled his eyes. “What part of no arguments were you not clear on, Jared?” he asked just as the car came to a stop. “We’ll work something out, now c’mon.” With that, Jensen climbed out of the car and headed to the house, holding the door open for Jared before he followed the younger male into the house. When he saw Jared moving towards his own bedroom, Jensen grabbed his arm and tugged Jared backwards. “Shower before you and I hit the sack. You reek of perfume and cigarette smoke.”  
   
As soon as Jensen grabbed him, Jared jerked his arm back. “What?” he asked when Jensen practically ordered him to get a shower. “I showered before we left. And I thought you wanted to go to bed.” He frowned when Jensen merely looked at him, the silent order to do as he was told clear in Jensen’s eyes. “Whatever,” Jared grumbled as he moved towards the bathroom closest to his bedroom.  
   
“My bathroom Jared!” Jensen called as he headed into his study. He had to put a few things away before he called it a night and he needed to give Jared a little time before he set his plan into action. About five minutes would suffice, he figured.   
   
So, when the time came, Jensen walked out of his study and into the bathroom where Jared was taking his shower. Once he was in his room, he discarded his clothing before he stepped into the adjoining bathroom. The mirrors were all steamy because the water was so hot, which meant the shower door was also all steamy. Therefore, when Jensen stepped into the shower, Jared didn’t see him coming until it was too late to do anything about it.   
   
Jared’s eyes widened when Jensen climbed into the shower with him. “What are you --?”he started, only to have the wind knocked out of him when his back hit the opposite shower wall. Before he had time to retaliate, his arm was wrenched back and pinned to his back as his face and chest were shoved into the wall. “Ow, Jensen what are you doing?!”  
   
He hated being so rough with the younger male, but he needed to get his point across; he wasn’t going to put up with Jared calling him by another man’s name. Pressing his lips to Jared’s ear, Jensen moaned, “You’re mine Jared. Do you know that? Because I think you need a little reminder.”  
   
Roughly, Jared pushed back against Jensen, trying to get free. “I’m not yours,” he argued. “The only reason I’m here is for my father. I don’t love you. Hell, I don’t even like you, and I never will! But I’m not letting him go to prison because of a stupid mistake I made by sleeping four years ago; that’s ridiculous.”  
   
His arm wrapped around Jared more tightly before he added, “That night we had together; it wasn’t a mistake. It was probably one of the smartest things you’ve ever done in your life, baby. Do you have any idea what I can do for you? How I can make your life so much better? All you have to do is let me, Jay.”  
   
Using the soap to lube up his fingers, Jensen kicked Jared’s feet apart and started rubbing his index finger against Jared’s tightly puckered hole. “And there’s where you’re wrong baby,” he whispered. “For these next six months, you are mine. I own you Jay, just like I own the keys to your father’s freedom. Get it through your head. Once you accept this, things are going to get a lot easier for you. Life can be pleasant or a living Hell depending on how you act. It’s all up to you Jared.”  
   
When Jensen started rubbing against Jared’s entrance, Jared stopped struggling, body going completely stiff as he squeezed his eyes shut. He had been about ready to scream how wrong Jensen was about this whole thing and how Jensen had taken advantage of him when he was drunk, but he didn’t want this to happen right now, so it became more important than telling the older male off. “Jensen, please don’t do this,” he begged, lip disappearing between rows of straight white teeth. “Please? Not now; tomorrow. I’ll have sex with you tomorrow. I promise. Just…please don’t do this to me.”  
   
“Say you’re mine,” Jensen instructed as he ground his growing erection into Jared’s ass cheek. “And say my name when you do it.”  
   
At Jensen’s request, Jared swallowed his pride before he stated, “I’m yours Jensen.” Again, Jared gently pushed back against Jensen, wanting to be left go. “I’m yours Jensen, okay? Are you happy now?”  
   
Jensen moaned softly when Jared told him that he was his, loving the way those words sounded coming out of Jared’s mouth. “Ecstatic,” he answered with a smile. Dipping his head, Jensen feathered kisses along Jared’s neck and shoulder as he slowly released him. “See you in the room. I’ve decided that you can wear your boxers baby. But only your boxers. Get some sleep tonight. Oh, and Jared, if you ever call me Misha again, I’ll put your father away for life without parole. I’ll personally make sure he’s in solitary so you’ll never be allowed to see him again.”   
   
With that, Jensen stepped out of the shower and walked back into his bedroom, throwing the covers back before climbing into his bed and waiting for Jared. Maybe that last part was a little harsh, but he was sure he’d gotten his point across. Jared wasn’t ever going to be calling him anything but Jensen again.  
   
Once Jared was alone in the shower, he let the emotions welling up inside him free, sliding down the shower wall as he sobbed quietly. Who would have ever thought that one stupid, drunken night could get him into this much trouble? Surely, Jared never imagined something like this could happen as a result of one night in his freshman year of college.  
   
It was a little unnerving that Jensen still wanted him this badly after a one night stand they had four years ago. As far as he was concerned, Jensen was the kind of guy to use them and lose them; at least that’s what Mike had told him after Jared came clean. Apparently, Jensen had broken up his and his girlfriend at the time’s relationship by offering her the luxurious life of being Jensen Ackles’s partner only so he could have sex with her and then forget about her.   
   
That was why Jared had left that morning after he realized they’d had sex. He was afraid he was just another notch in Jensen’s headboard. Maybe, at one time he did think there could be a future for them – before he had drunken sex – but now, there was no way. He was with Misha and Jensen needed to find someone else and move on, too.  
   
If he didn’t, then Jared wasn’t sure he would be out of here in six months. And even if he was, there was a chance Jensen would come back for him and do something like this all over again. There was no limit to what Jensen could do because he had influence over everyone with power in this town. Must be nice, Jared supposed, never having to worry about anything and always getting your way. But not this time; Jensen wasn’t going to get Jared, no matter what Jensen did. Jared was going to make sure of that.  
   
Only when the water got cold did Jared finally get out of the shower. He made sure to wipe his eyes so Jensen wouldn’t know he’d been crying, if he was even up any longer. It was better to be safe than sorry, he supposed. Slowly, Jared then made his way into Jensen’s room and climbed into the bed. His boxers weren’t in this room, so he just forgot about them; Jensen was sleeping anyway. Besides, that little speech had just been a lie to get Jensen to allow him to wear clothes to bed.  
   
Sighing, he pulled the blankets up to his neck, burrowing deep into the warmth of the sheets as he prepared himself for another sleepless night.


	7. Chapter Seven

Over the last month, Jared felt he had basically become a vampire – sleeping during the day and lying awake at night staring at a wall while Jensen either fucked him or held him close as he slept. He’d gotten to see his family twelve times in the past four weeks; every night he and Jensen weren’t at social events. That was probably the only thing keeping his from bolting every time something went bad. Megan was always there to remind him that he was doing this for their father and when it was all over, Jared could tell Jensen just where to shove it.  
   
“Hey Jared!” Rob called as he ran down the hallway towards the younger male’s room. “Jensen’s on the phone for you. He said it’s urgent.” Quickly, Rob thrust the phone into Jared’s hand. “He sounds really happy, so I think it’s good news.”  
   
Frowning slightly, Jared took the phone, pressing it up against his ear. “Yeah?” he asked, kind of eager to figure out what apparent happy news Jensen had for him. When Jensen asked him if he liked art, Jared frowned thoughtfully. “Uh, yeah I guess. It’s all right, why?” Another frown came to Jared’s face when Jensen explained that he bought tickets to an art show for tonight and he was coming to pick him up right now. “All right, I guess I’ll be ready in twenty minutes.” Hearing Jensen tell him that he couldn’t wait to see him, Jared nearly shuddered. “Yeah, okay. See you in a little while.”  
   
Quickly, Jared changed into the suit that Jensen had bought him, figuring that an art show was a lot more fancy than most of the things they went to. All black seemed a little depressing on one hand, but on the other hand, it made him look sophisticated. At least that was something Jensen couldn’t complain about.  
   
When Jeffrey pulled into the driveway, Jared was outside waiting for them. He climbed into the car as soon as it came to a stop, smiling at Jeffrey. “Hi Jeffrey, how’s it going?” he asked. Over the last month, he had become very close to Jensen’s staff. In all honesty, he felt a little sad that he was going to be leaving them here in five months and would probably never talk to them again. It was kind of like he was losing some new best friends before he even had a chance to get really close to them.  
   
Jeffrey returned Jared smile with one of his own. “Jared, you’re looking good today. Guess you must really like art, kid.” In the last month, Jeffrey hadn’t really spent much time with Jared except when they were in the car together. Jared was always spending time with Jensen because that was the deal in the contract. But from what he knew about Jared, the kid was a good person.  
   
“Like I said, it’s okay I guess,” Jared answered with a small shrug. “Misha was an artist and I usually went to art shows with him when he asked me to.” In a way, this was kind of a reminder of Jared’s life before this mess, which was why he wasn’t make a big deal about it.   
   
As soon as Jared was done talking to Jeffrey for a moment, Jensen leaned in and tried to kiss him, only to have the younger male pull away from him. “Aren’t you going to say hi to me?” he asked, giving Jared an innocent, somewhat pleading smile.  
   
Again, Jared shrugged. “No, I wasn’t really planning on it,” he answered before he turned his attention to whatever was out the window. He was pretty sure he could draw a damn picture of the landscaping outside of Jensen’s house he had been staring at it so many times. Then again, he supposed he couldn’t complain. It was a lot better than having a conversation with the older male. That was probably one of the last things he wanted to do.   
   
Sure, he had been here for the last month, but that didn’t mean he and Jensen had gotten any closer. If possible, they had just grown more apart because no matter what Jared said or did, Jensen still wasn’t giving up or giving him any leeway on the contract, which meant there was still sex when Jensen wanted it and to hell with Jared’s wants, he still had to act all loving in public where Jensen took full advantage of the fact that he could kiss and touch Jared when he wanted, how he wanted and Jared could do nothing about it, and he was still being forced to sleep in Jensen’s bed at night. Well, he was forced to lie there, but he never got any sleep.  
   
Still, the fact that Jared was more or less ignoring him and refusing to give him an inch on anything that wasn’t in the contract pissed Jensen off. And still, there was nothing he could do about it because Steve had assured him there was no way they could alter the contract and expect Jared to be okay with it. So, unless Jensen wanted to blackmail Jared with something else, Jensen had no choice but to accept Jared’s behavior. “Fine, don’t say hi to me. I don’t care. In a few minutes I’m going to have you on my arm and then you’ll have to at least pretend to like me.” Smiling, he tapped the back of Jeffrey’s seat, letting the older male know that he could start driving.   
   
Sighing, Jared closed his eyes, knowing that Jensen was right. But that didn’t mean he had to like him now, and he was taking advantage of that fact. The drive was once again done in silence, as almost every drive they had was unless they were arguing about something. Jared didn’t really care though. It wasn’t like his life was incomplete if he wasn’t talking to Jensen, or anything. Actually, he preferred it this way.   
   
And today was especially running more smoothly because they weren’t talking. Going to an art show was bringing back memories of Misha, which were causing Jared to think back on some of the good times he’d had with the older male. All of the art shows they’d been to together in the last two years. They had shared their first kiss at an art show; it had been very romantic.  
   
Jared remembered it as though it had been yesterday. Some big wig dealer had contacted Misha and asked to buy a piece from him. The dealer had been having a show that week and he wanted Misha’s painting in his show. Misha had scored free tickets to the show and asked Jared, who he had been dating for six months at the time, if he wanted to tag along. As they stared at Misha’s painting with huge smiles on both their faces, Jared had turned to congratulate Misha just as Misha had turned and planted one on him. It had taken his breath away, he remembered; best first kiss with the man he loved ever.  
   
Not that Jared hadn’t ever kissed anyone before Misha. There had been others – Jensen, his middle school crush Sara, and Sandy that one time she’d been drunk and come on to him more forcefully than any other time before. That had been a night to remember. Megan had walked in just as Sandy kissed Jared and almost had a breakdown because she thought Jared was going to start dating Sandy, which would have resulted in her losing one of her best friends. Something about once a brother started dating a friend, the friend became more interested in seeing her boyfriend than the friend she’d had before. But when he and Misha kissed, there had just been something there. Sparks perhaps, like in the movies when something good happens to the protagonist.  
   
A slap on the arm dragged Jared out of memory lane, forcing him to once again deal with the present. His attention turned to Jensen then, frowning at the hand that was being held out to him. While he had been reliving his and Misha’s first kiss in his head, they’d arrived at the show. Sighing, Jared put on his fake smile before he took Jensen’s hand and allowed the older male to tug him from the car.  
   
Once they were inside, a young woman with long brown hair and warm blue eyes took their coats and bid them a fun evening. Jensen made sure to keep Jared close and show him off to everyone he saw fit, including Tom Welling. He hadn’t known Tom would be there, but it was always fun to rub his nose in it that he’d left Tom and moved on to bigger and better things.  
   
At one point in the evening, Jared managed to get away from Jensen for a while. He could tell the older male wasn’t interested in the art anyway, and Jared really wanted to look around at some of the pieces there. So, he’d told Jensen to have fun and mingle for a while as he walked around the gallery.  
   
On one of the walls at the far end of the second floor, Jared saw a painting that caught his eyes. Slowly, he made his way to the piece, reading the description at the bottom of the showcase. His eyes widened when he read the author’s name: Misha Collins. Jensen had brought him to a show displaying Misha’s artwork? Well, that meant that Misha had to be here somewhere; Misha never missed a show where his work was on display.  
   
With determination, Jared set out to find the love of his life, eager to see Misha after the long month without him. He couldn’t wait to see the older male and ask him how he was doing, if he was all right; maybe if there was a chance of them getting back together.  
   
Finally, after what seemed like forever, Jared found Misha standing by one of the other pieces talking to a man in a fancy suit about something Jared couldn’t hear. Smiling, he started walking over to him, only to have his steps falter when he saw Genevieve Cortese walk up to Misha and plant a kiss on his lips. He knew her a little bit because her mother was a regular client of Misha’s.  
   
His heart sank as he just stared at the two of them for a minute. Misha had never mentioned that he was into girls; then again, Jared never asked. When he realized that Misha was looking at him, Jared quickly turned and started to quickly walk away. The footsteps behind him indicated that he was being followed, but Jared didn’t stop, or even turn around to see who it was. He already knew it was Misha because the older male had called his name.  
   
When he found Jensen again, he was talking – or more like arguing – with Tom Welling. Normally, Jared did everything in his power to avoid Tom, but right now he didn’t really care. He pushed his way in between Tom and Jensen before he grabbed ahold of Jensen’s arm. “Can we go now, please?” he asked, knowing that he had to be careful not to give up the real reason behind why he was so upset around other people.  
   
Jensen frowned slightly when he realized that Jared seemed upset. “Yeah, we can go,” he assured Jared when the younger male asked. As he followed Jared out of the building, he was stopped by Tom’s hand on his chest telling him to rethink the offer he’d made, but Jensen just shrugged him off, wrapping his arm around Jared’s waist once he’d caught up. Before they were completely out of the building, Jensen’s eyes met and clashed with Misha’s, a large grin coming to Jensen’s lips when Misha frowned deeper at the realization that Jensen now had Jared all to himself.   
   
As soon as they reached the limo, Jared climbed inside, pushing himself against the opposite door like he usually did. Much to his surprise, Jensen didn’t try anything while they were in the car; no touching, not attempted kissing, or even talking for that matter. Perhaps Jensen really did have a heart and he saw that Jared was upset so he was deciding to leave him alone.  
   
He was close with his theory on why Jensen was leaving him alone. Really, Jensen was doing it because he hoped that because Jared was upset, he would think a few things over on the ride back to the house so that once they were there, Jared would feel vulnerable and needy. And when that happened, he’d turn to Jensen who would gladly comfort him and make him feel loved and wanted. This was the way he would finally win over Jared Padalecki; and he had Misha to thank for it all.  
   
Once they were at the house, Jared walked to Jensen’s room, knowing that if he went to his own, he would just lie down on the bed and start crying until he fell asleep. And then he would be breaking the rules of the contract because he was so tired that if he fell asleep, there was a big chance no one would be able to wake him up unless he was ready to get up. As soon as he was in Jensen’s room, he lied on the bed and just stared at the ceiling he knew so well.  
   
“Hey, you all right?” Jensen asked as he walked into his room, closing the door behind himself. Of course, he knew that Jared wasn’t all right, but it was always polite to ask. And if he could get Jared to open up to him, then there was a chance the younger male would be more open with him all of the time.  
   
Slowly, Jared shook his head, eyes closing as he leaned his head back against the headboard. He might admit that he wasn’t all right, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to talk about it with Jensen. Anyone else, maybe; but definitely not Jensen Ackles, the reason this was all happening to him.   
   
He hid the small smile that came to his lips when Jared actually responded to him. Sure, it wasn’t verbal, but just a few weeks ago if he would have asked that question he wouldn’t have gotten acknowledged. Things were looking up, that was for sure. Crawling onto the bed, Jensen rested on his side, using his elbow to prop himself up before he asked, “Do you want to talk about it, baby? I’m a good listener, promise.”  
   
Jared would have been a fool not to have known that was the next question coming out of Jensen’s mouth. Again, he shook his head and just left it at that. He was trying to process everything in his head and he didn’t think it added up. Why the hell would Jensen have taken Jared to an art show that he didn’t even enjoy unless he knew Misha was there? Maybe he also knew that Misha had moved on and he was trying to let Jared know that it was okay, or even best, to move on as well. But Jared wasn’t ready to move on. And even if he was, Jared would never move on to Jensen so there was no point in making Jared hurt like this.  
   
When another shake of his head was all Jensen got as Jared’s answer, he frowned. Well, his plan wasn’t really going to work very well unless Jared opened up to him. Maybe he had moved too fast. Sighing, he rolled onto his stomach, wondering if they could just skip the fluffy, girly talk and go right to the comforting. His hand slowly found its way to Jared’s knee, sliding up to his thigh and towards his crotch.  
   
“You know Jared,” he started, massaging the firm muscles beneath Jared’s pants, “Misha’s an idiot for moving on to that woman so quickly. I can’t believe how much of a pig he is. Artists, you know how they can be.” Pushing up so that he was sitting on his knees, he moved his face closer to Jared’s, searching the younger male’s eyes. “He doesn’t love you like you need to be loved, obviously. Not like I could love you; do love you, Jared.”  
   
Feeling Jensen’s hand on his knee and sliding upwards, Jared quickly shoved the older male’s hand away. “Don’t touch me,” he bit out, knowing now that Jensen had just used the show as an excuse to get Jared to that building so he would see Misha. And more importantly, Misha would see him…with Jensen. That’s all tonight had been about. Now there was probably a slim to none chance that he was ever going to get Misha to take him back because Misha would see this as lying. Damn, Jensen was smart. But Jared was smarter, and he wasn’t going to give Jensen what he wanted as long as he could help it. “And you don’t love me.”  
   
So, they were back to that again, huh? Well, Jensen wasn’t about to let Jared start with that. They had a deal, and dammit Jared was going to stick to it. “Stop telling me that,” he growled, replacing his hand on Jared’s thigh where it had been before the younger male pushed him away. “I know you don’t really mean it, so quit fighting it. Just let yourself enjoy it.”  
   
Again, Jared shoved Jensen’s hand off him, this time getting completely off the bed. “Yes, I do mean it. I know why you took me to that art show. You knew Misha was going to be there. And you probably knew that he had a girl with him, so you thought it would make me mad and then you could get your hooks into me? Make me think you’re a good guy so I hate you less? Well, forget it. I figured out your master scheme and I can guarantee it will not happen. Not ever!”  
   
Turns out, Jared was a lot smarter than Jensen thought he was. Not that Jensen had thought Jared was stupid or anything, but he never thought Jared would figure that one out. After all, the younger male didn’t have a maniacal bone in his body. He must have been rubbing off onto him. Climbing out of the bed with a seductive smirk, Jensen moved in closer to Jared again, hands gripping the younger male’s waist and pulling him in close. “Come on baby, don’t be like that.” He leaned in close to Jared’s ear before he whispered, “Don’t you remember how good it was last time?” As he spoke, Jensen’s fingers worked on the button of Jared’s dress slacks, trying to get it open.  
   
When Jensen got off the bed and grabbed his hips, Jared turned his head to the side in case Jensen tried to kiss him. He knew he really shouldn’t be resisting like this, but when this all started, Jensen had told him that he had the right to deny sex, and he was about to use it. Of course, the other half of that rule was that Jensen had the right not to listen, but it was till worth a shot.   
   
Jared shoved Jensen’s hands away from his pants as the older male tried to unbutton them. “I said no and I meant it. Leave me alone.” When that only seemed to make Jensen more eager to get him in the sack, Jared shoved him backwards, actually getting him to stumble a few feet away from him. “Stop it!”  
   
The shove caught him by surprise, Jensen having just thought that Jared was playing hard to get. But that wasn’t playing, and Jensen didn’t like it. Angrily, he grabbed Jared by the shirt and shoved him into the wall, pinning him there with his body. “Maybe you forgot our little conversation in the bathroom last month Jared,” he hissed, pressing a little more roughly against Jared’s body. “Would you like me to refresh your memory?! I have the power to put your dad behind bars for a very long time, and I am not afraid to use that power, Jared. If I wanted to, I could have your father put away for killing some random man in a town two cities away. Am I making myself clear, baby? I call the shots, not you.”  
   
Instead of getting mad, Jared just broke down. He didn’t have the strength anymore to get angry and argue with Jensen about every little thing they dealt with. If Jensen wanted this, then there was nothing Jared could do to stop him. “You think I don’t know that?” Jared asked, tears welling up in his eyes. “I know exactly what you can do. So, if you want me, then there’s nothing I can do to stop you. But let me just tell you something about your plan that you think is going to make me fall in love with you so we can live happily ever after, or whatever.  
   
“Every time you touch me, my skin crawls. When you kiss me at your social outings, I want to throw up. And every time you rape me, I feel like I want to die. That’s not love, Jensen. It’ll never be love. So if this is your master plan, then consider this a loss because as soon as my five months are done, I’m out of here. And I won’t ever talk to you again. I’ll make a point not to see you because that’s how sick you make me.”  
   
Hanging his head, Jared continued, “So go ahead Jensen; rape me again. Make me tell you that I like it, but the words won’t be true.” Sniffling, Jared wiped away a few of the tears that were trickling down his cheeks. “Maybe you want me to tell you that I belong to you again or you’d like to slap the handcuffs on me again.” Wiping his tears once more, Jared looked up at Jensen brokenly. “Just do it. I don’t even care anymore. As long as you leave my family alone, I don’t even care.”  
   
When Jared told him that he’d raped him, Jensen’s eyes widened in horror. No, that wasn’t possible. Jared had liked it, right? He was moaning and he came every single time, so that wasn’t rape, was it? No, it wasn’t. However, the look on Jared’s face told a different story. He looked so broken and really…for the first time since this all started, Jensen was starting to see Jared for what he really was; a victim.  
   
Quickly, he released the younger male as he backed up slowly towards the door. “I…I have to go. I’m so sorry, Jared,” he muttered before turning and nearly bolting out of the room. He didn’t stop until he was out of the house and in his car. Jeffrey wasn’t always his driver; sometimes he drove himself places. And right now, he needed to get away. Once he had his car started, Jensen peeled out of the parking lot and headed down the road at dangerous speeds.  
   
As soon as he was released, Jared allowed his body to slide down the wall as he sobbed softly, curling in on himself like he had done so many times when he was a child and life would get too overwhelming for him. He pulled his knees up against his chest, arms wrapping around his shins as he tucked his chin into his chest, forehead resting against his knees as he continued to cry. Jared didn’t know if he could take this anymore. He just wanted to go home.  
   
**~~**  
   
A knock on the door interrupted Steve and Chris in the middle of their cops and robbers game. Sighing, Chris looked at Steve, bound to the chair with his black and white striped one-piece outfit ripped down the center to his belly button. “You gonna answer that?” he asked, knowing there was no way for his lover to answer due to the gag in his mouth. “Hmm…guess not.” Leaning down, he kissed his lover’s lips around the gag. “I’ll be right back, baby. Don’t go anywhere.”  
   
Slowly, he walked to the door, moving his hips in a seductive motion for Steve to watch as he moved away from him. The smile that had been plastered on his face quickly disappeared when he saw Jensen; not because it was Jensen, but because of the way his best friend looked. His hair was a disheveled mess, his clothes were soaking wet from the rain and it looked like he had been crying. “Jensen, what’s wrong?” he asked, quickly ushering his buddy into the house.   
   
When Jensen saw that Chris was in his uniform, he frowned. “I thought you had the night off tonight,” he mumbled as he allowed Chris to lead him into the living room. After he had left his house, he went to the park and sat on one of the benches for a while until he got too cold and too wet to stay there any longer. He felt sick. He’d forced himself on Jared and now there was probably no chance of the younger male ever returning his feelings. All because Jensen didn’t want to risk rejection by asking Jared out the proper way.   
   
“I’m not working tonight. It was just something Steve and I were doing,” Chris explained, sitting Jensen down on the couch. “Dude, you’re freezing. I’m gonna go get some dry clothes for you. Don’t go anywhere.” Quickly, he jogged into the dining room where he had Steve tied up and released his lover. “Jensen’s in the other room; he’s soaked and he looks like he’s just had his heart broken. Head into the kitchen and put on some coffee. We need to get him warmed up. I’m gonna let him borrow some of my clothes. And…you might want to think about getting changed while you wait for the coffee.”  
   
Frowning, Steve followed Chris up the stairs. “What do you mean?” he asked. “What’s wrong with Jensen? Did something happen?” He couldn’t remember the last time Jensen had been happy, let alone looked like his heart had been broken. Actually, he didn’t think there was ever a time when Jensen looked like his heart had been broken. Steve was starting to wonder if Jensen’s heart even worked like a normal human being’s, in all honesty.  
   
Chris shook his head when Steve asked him all of the questions. “I don’t know, the only thing he said to me was that he didn’t know I was working tonight. He seemed kind of out of it, you know. Like he was just not registering something in his head.”  
   
The way Jensen was acting didn’t sound good at all, which kind of scared Steve. “That doesn’t sound good Chris. Maybe we should take him to the ER. If he’s incoherent, something could be seriously wrong. You said he was soaked and freezing; he could have pneumonia.”  
   
“He doesn’t have pneumonia. He just needs to get some clean, warm clothes on and some nice warm coffee into his system. He’ll be fine once that’s all done,” Chris assured him lover as he tucked the warm clothes under his arm and started down the stairs with them.   
   
Once he was down the stairs again, he handed Jensen the clothes and told him to go change into the warm clothes and that he would have some coffee waiting for him when he came back out. He frowned when Jensen didn’t argue, didn’t even speak as he walked into the guest bathroom and closed the door softly behind him.  
   
As promised, Chris had a steaming hot cup of coffee for Jensen when he walked back out and took a seat at the breakfast nook. Steve had come down to join them and they were now both looking at Jensen expectantly. Finally, Chris broke the silence as he leaned against the counter top. “Jensen, tell us what happened.”  
   
**~~**  
   
Jared yanked the door open with every intention of leaving this house forever. To hell with the deal; he couldn’t take being raped every night and then yelled at when he wanted a night off. He’d come back for his things later; right now he just wanted to get out of here. However, when he opened the door, he was met with the face of one Thomas Welling. “T-Tom,” Jared stuttered. “What are you doing here?”  
   
He had to hide the frown that wanted to cross his face when he realized that it was Jared who had opened the door instead of Jensen. Slowly, Tom reached into his coat pocket and answered, “Jensen left his wallet at the art show, so I wanted to give it back to him. You know how it is when you lose your wallet, right. Running up and down the walls looking for it and everything? I just wanted to spare Jensen the trouble.”  
   
“Oh, okay,” Jared answered with a small smile. “Jensen’s not here right now. Did you want me to just lay it in here and he can get it when he comes back?” Really, he had no other way of getting it to Jensen because one, he didn’t care if Jensen got his stupid wallet back and two, he had no idea where Jensen went so he couldn’t contact him.   
   
Shaking his head, Tom answered, “No, that’s all right. I think I’ll just hold onto it. I’ll come back and give it to him later.” A small frown came to the other male’s face when he realized that Jared seemed upset. “Hey, are you okay? You don’t look so good.” When Jared just nodded, Tom frowned. “That doesn’t sound very convincing. Come on out here, we can talk while you walk me to my car.”  
   
Really, Jared didn’t want to, but he accepted anyway. After all, Jensen was all about being polite to his acquaintances and he knew that he should still keep up the charade until he was completely out of Jensen’s life for good. He pulled the door closed behind him as he walked out into the rainy night, pulling the hood on his hoodie up over his head as he shoved his hands into his pockets.  
   
“You know, I was talking to Jensen at the show and I’m a little concerned about your relationship,” Tom explained, concern creeping into his voice. “I mean, Jensen told me how great everything was going, but I saw the way you looked at him. I just feel that he loves you more than you could ever love him. And that doesn’t seem to me like a healthy relationship. When I was watching you today, you seemed more intent on seeing that artist than being with Jensen. Maybe the two of you just aren’t right for each other.”  
   
The conversation was a little one sided on the way to car because Jared didn’t want to talk to Tom, of all people. He was pretty sure he’d talk to Jensen before he said anything to Tom Welling. And he didn’t think he had to justify his and Jensen’s relationship; well, they’re fake relationship. “No offense, but I don’t think what’s between Jensen and I is any of your concern Tom,” he answered with a slight shake of his head.  
   
A small smile came to Tom’s face when Jared spoke. He had fight that was for sure. But Tom knew who was right for Jensen and it wasn’t Jared. “While that may be true, I just think that you should break up with Jensen and fast. Before he falls in love with you any more and you end up shattering his heart instead of merely breaking it.”   
   
Jared was starting to get upset. Where the hell did Tom Welling get off telling him what to do? Sure, he might not have loved Jensen, but he wasn’t going to stand for this shit. “How about I stay exactly where I am and give Jensen what he needs. Something you apparently didn’t know how to do seeing as how you were kicked to the curb.” Leaning in closer to Tom, Jared added, “Maybe you should get over it and move on. These repressed feelings you have for my boyfriend can’t be good for your health.”  
   
Angrily, Tom boomed, “You’re an idiot. Jensen is rich and he wants to share that wealth with you, for some reason. And you’re not even taking advantage of it! I mean, look at you! You’re still walking around in hand me down clothes that look like you picked up in a dumpster and acting like you don’t want to be with him! Maybe you should step aside and let me handle Jensen. We were good together!” Shaking his head, he spat,” People like you make me sick.”  
   
Before Jared even knew what was happening, Tom shoved him backwards, hard. His feet slipped on the wet road, causing Jared to fall to his knees. As he was pushing up off the ground, he was blinded with white lights before he heard the screeching of tires skidding on the wet road and pain shot through every part of his body.  
   
**~~**  
   
“I can’t believe he said that to you,” Chris gasped, shaking his head. “He doesn’t really think you raped him, does he?” Turning to look at Steve, Chris asked, “He can’t get Jensen in trouble for this, can he? I mean, they had an agreement that involved sex. It was just business to Jared, right?”  
   
Shaking his head, Steve answered, “Even if Jared does try anything, none of the judges will do anything about it. Jensen has too much hold over all of them for one of them to make a move. It would be like suicide for their career.”  
   
A loud snort from Jensen caught both of their attention. “Does it even matter?!” he asked as he shook his head. “Jared hates me! He thinks I raped him! Does anything else really matter?!” Allowing his head to against the counter, Jensen grumbled, “I’m a sick man who needs to be put down like a rabid dog. I can’t even stand me right now. How could I possibly get Jared to fall in love with me if I don’t even love myself?”  
   
Suddenly, Jensen’s cell phone rang, causing him to jump slightly. Frustrated, he started digging into his pocket until he found it. “What?” he answered, clearly not wanting to speak to anyone other than Chris and Steve at the moment. However, when he heard his brother on the other end explain that Jared was in the hospital, in surgery, his heart stopped for a minute. “I’m on my way,” he explained, pushing out of his seat. Hanging up his phone, he turned to Chris and Steve. “Jared’s in the hospital, there’s been an accident. I’m going down there now.”  
   
“Jensen, you’re in no condition to drive!” Steve argued. “You should call Jeffrey and have him take you; I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”  
   
Shaking his head, Chris argued, “That’ll take too long. Get into my car Jen, I’ll drive you.” Quickly, he grabbed his keys and headed out the door behind Jensen, Steve bringing up the rear. “Seatbelts; I have the police cruiser tonight so we’re going to be breaking some rules. Don’t tell my chief.” With that, Chris floored the gas pedal as he let the sirens blare, intent on getting Jensen to the hospital as soon as possible.


	8. Chapter Eight

“Where is he?” Jensen demanded as he walked up behind his brother. “Where’s Jared? Is he all right?” His heart was racing and he felt like it was going to beat right out of his chest. If Jared wasn’t okay, Jensen was going to hate himself more than he already did because this was all his fault. If Jared had been with his family, this would have never happened.  
   
Josh turned as soon as he heard his brother’s voice, knowing that Jensen must be frantic because this was his boyfriend here and Jensen had no idea what had happened or how. And Josh knew how much Jensen liked to be in control. “Jen, calm down,” Josh reasoned, taking hold of his brother’s arms and making eye contact with him. “Jared was hit by a car earlier tonight. Now, we just got Jared out of surgery and moved him into the ICU. Some of the injuries he sustained are pretty severe. Do you want me to tell you his injuries, Jensen?”  
   
When Josh told him to calm down, Jensen wanted to clock him. Of course, he didn’t because he was his older brother and Jensen knew Josh was only trying to look out for him. “He’s in the ICU?” Jensen asked, a deep frown marring his handsome features. “How severe are the injuries?” He rolled his eyes when Jeff asked if he wanted to be told Jared’s injuries. “Of course I want to know what’s wrong with him, Josh!”  
   
Slowly, Josh nodded before he listed, “His left arm is broken, which we reset and placed in a cast, his right leg was fractured in three different places. One of his ribs snapped and punctured his left lung, but we were able to fix that. And he has a concussion. We figure either he hit the car or when he rolled off the hood, his head smacked against the pavement. There’s a decent-sized laceration in the center of his head running down vertically to the bridge of his nose, which we stitched up and bandaged and his face is still a little swollen and bruised.”  
   
As Josh listed all of the things that were wrong with Jared, Jensen once again had that sinking feeling like he was about to just fall over. Really, he had no idea how he was supposed to respond to something like that. He felt so helpless because there was nothing he could do for Jared. “But…other than that, he’s fine? I mean…he’s alive and he’s g-going to stay that way, right?”  
   
Sighing, Josh answered, “Well…Jared’s in a comatose state right now. We won’t know anything until he wakes up, Jensen. I’m sorry.” Biting his lip, he placed his hand on Jensen’s shoulder as an offering of comfort. “You can go see him now if you’d like. He’ll probably know you’re there. I mean, at least that’s what we like to think about comatose patients.”  
   
Really, Jensen knew he was probably the last person Jared would want to see if he was awake, but there was no way in hell Jensen was just going to leave Jared there alone in that room. He needed to be around another person and right now, Jensen was all he had. “Call his family. I want Megan and Gerald down here so they can be with Jared, too,” Jensen instructed before he walked into the room and took a seat in the chair beside Jared’s bed.  
   
It hurt like hell to see Jared there and know that he was responsible for this. Slowly, he reached for the younger male’s hand, mindful of the IV and pressed it to his lips. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered as he shook his head slowly. “This is all my fault. I should have just left you alone. You didn’t want to be with me and I knew it; but I pushed you into this and now look what happened.” Shaking his head as tears slid down his cheeks, he held Jared’s hand up to his forehead and just cried until there were no more tears left in him.   
   
A few minutes later, Chris came into the room and placed his hand on Jensen’s shoulder. “C’mon Jen, Megan and Gerald are going to be here soon. I think we should give them some privacy,” Chris explained as he began to tug on the gray hoodie he’d loaned his best friend.  
   
Slowly, Jensen nodded, knowing it was the right thing to do even if he didn’t want to leave Jared. He leaned down over Jared’s body and pressed a soft kiss to the younger male’s forehead before he stood and followed Chris out of the room. Jared would make it out of all of this; he had to. Jensen had to live without Jared in his life for four years, and he couldn’t do it again. After this was all over, Jared was still going to see that he loved him and then everything would be okay. All Jared had to do was wake up.   
   
“Hey, I’ll meet you guys in the waiting room. I have to talk to my brother for a second,” Jensen explained, breaking off and walking towards his brother. “Josh? Do you have a minute? I’d like to talk to you about something.”  
   
Hearing his name being called, Josh turned to look at his brother, giving a slight nod. “Yeah, just let me ask you one question, first. Did you want me to call Dad? I mean, I will, but you’d have to leave and go change. You know how he gets when you’re not all dressy in public.”  
   
A small chuckle escaped Jensen when his brother reminded him of how his father acted when he wasn’t in his business outfits when he was in public. “Yeah right, I’m spoiling the good family name, or whatever.” Shaking his head, he answered, “Don’t call him. He’s got that meeting tonight and you know how he is about things that interrupt work. Besides, he just thought Jared was my flavor of the week, anyway; he won’t care.”  
   
Although Josh knew it was true, it still hurt to hear his brother saying such things. Really, he was sorry that his father hadn’t taken the time to raise them because he’d been too busy with his job, leaving his children to be raised by the housekeeper when she wasn’t busy. Other than that, they had themselves because their mother had left Alan when Mackenzie was just an infant because he was married to his job. “All right, I won’t call him. But he should know about it soon; call him maybe tomorrow?”  
   
Tomorrow sounded reasonable, so Jensen gave a short nod. “All right, now on to what I wanted to talk about; I don’t want any nurses in Jared’s room. The only person I want even going near him for anything medical is you. And when he wakes up and he’s good enough to leave, he’s coming to my house where you can visit regularly to see if he’s okay. From now on Jeff, he’s your main priority. If he needs anything, I want you to do it. Okay?”  
   
It was a lot to ask of him since Josh had other patients to take care of and he was the one who many of the nurses came to when there was a problem, but this was his brother and Josh could tell how much Jared meant to him, so he nodded. “Yeah, I can do that. I’ll get the word out that I am the only staff member to go in there. As far as visitors, I want his family and you. Chris and Steve can go in, but they can’t stay more than ten minutes and never at the same time. He’s my responsibility now and I want what’s best for him. Pass the word along?”  
   
Jensen smiled widely when his brother told him that he would be the sole caregiver for Jared while he was here. “Definitely, I’ll let them know. Thanks Josh.” With that, Jensen walked on after Chris and Steve, noticing that Megan, Gerald and Katie were all here. However, when he walked over there, he didn’t get the welcome he was planning on.  
   
Instead, Megan walked up to him and slapped him in the face. “This is all your fault!” she screamed as tears rolled down her cheeks. “Jared was just fine at his own house with his family and you made him live with you. You forced my brother out of his house and then you let him get hit by a car! I hope you’re happy with yourself, Jensen!”  
   
When Megan slapped him and started screaming at him, Chris wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her away from Jensen, fearful of his friend’s safety. But Jensen just shook his head, letting Chris know to let her go. “I know this is my fault,” he assured her sadly. “But I can promise you Megan, I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure Jared is okay. And I’m going to find the fucker who hit him and make sure he gets put away for a very long time. Trust me.”  
   
“Trust you?” Megan scoffed with a shake of her head. “No way. You’re the reason he’s in there! Why the hell would I ever trust you?” Angrily, she shoved past Jensen and walked to Jared’s room, taking a seat in the chair Jensen had been sitting in before as she pushed Jared’s bangs out of his face. Gerald soon followed and Katie brought up the rear, knowing that it was best to stay with Gerald in case something happened to him; even if this was a hospital, he was under her care.  
   
About three hours later, Jensen was once again alone with Jared. After a near battle, Katie had managed to get Gerald and Megan back into the car and home for the night, insisting that it wasn’t good for Gerald’s condition for him not to get any rest. Even then, Megan and Gerald left reluctantly, not that Jensen could blame them. He wouldn’t want to leave Jared alone here, either; he wasn’t going to.  
   
**~~**  
   
Josh frowned as he listened to Jensen yelling about it having been four days since the accident and Jared still wasn’t awake. He couldn’t blame Jensen for being all hostile about it, but he should have at least known there was nothing Josh could do about it. Calmly, Josh explained, “I know how long it’s been Jensen, and I’m doing everything I can. Coma patients are unpredictable. A patient could be here one day and gone the next, or he could be in this vegetative state for the rest of his life, years, moths, days; I don’t know, Jensen. He’s staying pretty stable, so I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”  
   
Shaking his head, Jensen argued, “How do you know that? Have you checked his vitals today? Is he going to be here today and then gone tomorrow? We need to wake him up! Isn’t there anything you can do?!”  
   
“No, there isn’t,” Josh answered. “Jared will wake up when he’s ready to wake up. Until then, all we can do is keep him comfortable and wait for it to happen.” Looking at his brother’s clothes, he frowned, noticing that Jensen was wearing the same gray hoodie and torn blue jeans he’d been wearing since he got here that first night he’d got here. “You should go home. Take a shower and change your clothes; Dad said he was coming today and you look like hell.”  
   
At the mention of how he looked, Jensen frowned. He knew it was the truth more than likely because he hadn’t left this hospital since the night Jared was admitted. “I don’t care. I’m not leaving Jared alone here. Meg said she was coming at three. I’ll call Chris and have him bring me some clothes over. There’s a shower in this bathroom over here, I’ll wash up in there.” Quickly, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Chris’s number, explaining the plan as he walked into the bathroom and stripped out of the clothes he was wearing now.   
   
Twenty minutes later, Jensen was clean and dressed in a white long sleeved T-shirt and dark blue jeans. It wasn’t a suit, but if his father came here, he was just going to have to deal with it. Sighing, Jensen plopped down into the chair that he had been calling a bed for the last four nights. There were still a couple of hours before Megan could get to the hospital, so Jensen planned on just staying here and watching Jared sleep. He gently took Jared’s hand in his like he usually did when they were alone.   
   
The tears were welling up in his eyes again, but he refused to let them fall. Right now, Jared needed him to be strong because Jared wasn’t awake to do it. “Hey baby,” he whispered as he leaned his elbows on the bed, his free hand moving to brush Jared’s bangs out of his face. “You’ve been sleeping for four days straight now. I mean, I understand being drained, but come on; ninety six hours of sleep is a little over the top, don’t you think?”  
   
A small chuckle escaped him at his own joke before he got serious again. “You know, you need to wake Jared, right?” Jensen asked, tear filled jade orbs searching Jared’s sleeping face. “Josh was just saying that comatose patients sometimes don’t wake up, so I just wanted to make sure you weren’t thinking about being one of them. Your family needs you to wake up.” Biting his lip, he stroked the side of Jared’s face before he whispered, “I need you to wake up. Please baby, I’ll do anything.”  
   
Suddenly, Jared’s hand twitched, causing Jensen to jerk his hand back. “Jay?” he asked, wide eyes searching the younger male’s face. “Are you awake, baby?” As he continued to stare at Jared, the younger male’s eyes began moving behind his closed lids as though he was trying to wake up, but he just wasn’t quite there yet. Quickly, Jensen turned at the waist and called, “Josh, I think he’s waking up!”  
   
When Josh heard Jensen yell that Jared was waking up, he quickly ran to Jared’s room. Once inside, he gently pushed Jensen out of the way so he could examine his patient. “Jared?” he called softly. “Jared can you hear me?” A smile came to his face when Jared slowly blinked his eyes open. “Jen, he’s awake.”  
   
Just as Jensen was about to walk over to Jared, his cell phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, he fought with the decision to answer it, finally deciding to just answer it and see what he wanted. “Chris, this had better be important!” he growled into the phone, eyes still on his brother and Jared. He was awake. Finally after four days, Jared was awake!  
   
“Trust me, it’s important,” Chris answered with a nod that Jensen wouldn’t see. “After we came back to your house, Steve and I decided to play around with your security cameras and you’ll never believe what we saw. Jensen, Tom pushed Jared in front of that car. It’s all right here on last night’s footage. And I got a license plate number for the car that hit him, too.”  
   
Jensen’s eyes went wide when Chris told him that Tom had pushed Jared in front of that car. Dammit, Jensen should have been able to figure that out. After last night’s offer to get back together and Jared never had to know about it, Jensen should have figured out that something was wrong. “I want him arrested for attempted murder,” Jensen ordered. “And run down the plates on that car. Whoever ran Jared over; I want him behind bars, too.”  
   
Although Jensen couldn’t see it, Chris nodded, writing down everything Jensen was telling him and the license plate number on the car. “All right, I’ll get working on that. I’m going to have to take the video from last night. There’s some dialogue, but I can’t quite make it out. I’ll have one the boys down at the station take a look at it.”  
   
He continued to watch as Josh took care of Jared, not really paying much attention to Chris. “Yeah, all right do whatever you need to do. I have to go,” Jensen answered. However, when Chris asked why he was in such a hurry, Jensen rolled his eyes. “Jared’s awake. I have to get in there with him. Call me with any more information. Bye.”  
   
With that, Jensen hung up the phone, heading back into the room where Josh was finishing up with Jared. “You should call Megan and Gerald,” Jensen instructed his brother. “They’re going to want to be down here now that he’s awake.” When Josh nodded and left the room to do as he was told, Jensen took a seat in the chair where he had been sitting before Jared woke up. “How are you feeling?” he asked, concern clear in his voice.  
   
Slowly, Jared turned his head so that he was looking at Jensen. “Like I was hit by a car genius,” he answered dryly. He felt like everything was in pain. The fact that he couldn’t move his arm was making him angry and the same thing with his leg. How the hell was he supposed to walk around without a leg? Apparently, he had stitches in his face that were starting to get itchy and he had a headache from hell. So yeah, he was feeling like shit. Then again, he supposed it was nice of Jensen to ask. “You look like Hell. When’s the last time you slept?”  
   
Biting his lip, Jensen admitted, “I haven’t gotten a decent night’s sleep since you were hit by the car. This chair’s pretty comfy, though. I might have to get me one to put in my living room, or something.” Chuckling, Jensen once again bit his lip, not really sure what to say to Jared now that he knew how the younger male felt about what had been going on between them before the accident. He felt sick for it, but he was kind of hoping Jared had amnesia so he didn’t remember anything and they could just start fresh. But he knew that wasn’t the case; Josh would have told him that.  
   
“You’ve been sleeping on the chair here for the last four nights?” Jared asked with a small frown. Well, that was a little unexpected. Jared knew that Jensen had some weird thing for him, but he never thought the man would sleep in a chair beside him while he was in a coma. “Hopefully that doesn’t mess up your back. I hear that a chiropractor is really expensive these days.”  
   
A small laugh worked its way out of Jensen when Jared mentioned his back. “Yeah, that would be bad. I mean, it’s no sleep number mattress like the one I have at the house, but it’s better than a laminate floor, I would imagine.” Slowly, Jensen once again bit his lip, wondering how he was going to break this next news to Jared. “Hey, I have something to talk to you about, if you think you’re up to it.”  
   
Something to talk to him about sounded sketchy Jared decided, so he was more than eager to nod when Jensen asked if he was up to it. “What do you want to talk to me about?” he asked, meeting Jensen’s gaze head on as he crossed his good arm over his waist.  
   
Lip still between his teeth, Jensen let out a deep breath before he explained, “Well, this whole healing process is going to last a while, so I was thinking that you could come back to my place and just chill out until you’re all better. Josh has access to the house whenever he wants it and I told him to make sure he takes care of you.” Again, Jensen took a deep breath. “So, what do you say? You think you can handle staying at my place while you heal?”  
   
Well, that was a curveball. Licking his lips, Jared looked down at the ground before returning his gaze to Jensen. “Do I have a choice? Is that what you’re telling me? I can either choose to stay with you where I have access to medical care or I can leave and go back to my family? And you won’t do anything to my father?”  
   
Slowly, Jensen nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m telling you,” he answered. “After what happened to you…I just think it would be better if we terminated the contract. But…you staying with me is better for your health. Josh only lives a few blocks away from me so if something happens, he can be there a lot faster than if you were at your own house.” Plus, he wasn’t quite yet ready to lose Jared but he knew if he said that last part, it would seal the deal of Jared going to his own house to heal.  
   
Jared knew that Jensen had a point about him being closer to Josh in case something bad happened. But now that he was out of contract, he wasn’t sure what to do. Or if this was just a test to make him think he was out of this mess only so Jensen could throw it in his face that they weren’t out of the clearing yet. “Y-Yeah,” he nodded with a small frown. “I can stay at your place, I guess. But when I’m better, I’m going home. And you’re not going to try and stop me, right?”  
   
Shaking his head, Jensen assured him, “I’m not going to try and stop you.” Maybe this was a chance for them both to start over; get to know each other a little better. Do that thing Jared was talking about the first time they had sex – talk and get to know one another. After all, it wasn’t like they could have sex again because for one, Jared thought he was being raped every time, and two, Jared was in no condition for such physical activity. That was of course if Jared even stayed around him. He knew there was a chance the younger male would want nothing to do with him now that they were no longer bound by a contract.  
   
A small smile came to Jared’s lips at the reassurance that he was going to be left alone when he tried to leave. Still, he wasn’t one hundred percent sure if Jensen was telling the truth or not, but for now he was going to take it. He was just about to thank Jensen when his sister rushed through the door and gave him a big hug, “Ah,” he gasped when she jarred his arm, pain slicing through his entire left side.   
   
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” Megan gasped as she pulled back, hand covering her mouth as she shook her head. “I forgot; I was just so happy to see you awake and I needed to hug you. I’ll be gentler the next time, I promise!” Leaning down, she pressed a kiss to Jared’s cheek. “How are you feeling, big bro? You know, aside from the broken bones and stuff?”  
   
Using his good arm, Jared shrugged slightly. “Well, you know…I feel pretty good actually. Everyone seems to be pretty excited about me waking up, so I guess that’s a good thing.” Biting his lip, Jared slowly shook his head. “I don’t really remember much about that night, but Josh said that was normal and my memory might come back with time. There’s no real amnesia because I remember my name and the date and everything else, so he said not to worry too much about that.”  
   
As she listened to Jared explain what was wrong with him, Megan nodded, glad that there wasn’t too much damage done. “So, you don’t remember what you were doing outside? Or how you ended up in the street so that car could hit you?” she asked, frowning softly.   
   
Sadly, Jared shook his head. “No. The last thing I remember is Jensen leaving the house after we were arguing.” Turning his attention to Jensen, Jared asked, “Did you see anything? Where were you, anyway?” His tone had taken on a slightly accusing tone when he asked where he was, although he was pretty sure Jensen wouldn’t have ran him over with a car and not come clean the minute Jared woke up.  
   
Jensen’s eyes widened when Jared asked him where he was. “Why do you care?” he asked, angry that Jared would speak to him like that. “Are you saying that I hit you with my damn car?!” Shaking his head, Jensen explained, “I was at Chris’s house talking to him and Steve about you. And I don’t appreciate being accused of hitting you with my damn car!” Angrily, Jensen started walking out the door only to turn around and yell, “For your information baby, I happen to know exactly what happened to you.”  
   
With that, Jensen was out of the room and down the hall, stepping into the restroom and slamming the door behind him. He couldn’t believe that Jared was seriously accusing him of something this terrible. Jensen was in love with Jared; he would never do anything to hurt him! Dammit, Jared should know that!  
   
When Jensen left the room and merely said that he knew what happened but didn’t elaborate, Jared frowned. He hadn’t been accusing Jensen, per se; he had simply been looking at this from all angles. After all, it wasn’t like he actually knew what had happened. Sighing, he looked at Megan with a deep frown. “I didn’t mean to--” Jared started, frowning more deeply. “Can you go get him? I think I need to apologize to him. And I really want to know what happened if he knows.”  
   
After giving Jared a small nod, Megan walked off in the direction she saw Jensen leave. However, when she couldn’t find him, she frowned, grabbing the first man she saw and asking if he would check and see if there was someone in the bathroom named Jensen Ackles.   
   
Finally, he came out of the bathroom and Megan grabbed him and started dragging him towards Jared’s room. “Don’t walk away from my brother like that Jensen,” Megan ordered. “After everything you’ve done to him, after everything you’ve put him through, he deserves your undivided attention all of the time. Even if you don’t want to listen to him, you’re going to. I don’t care if you have something more important to do; you got him in this mess and you’re going to take care of him. He’s your number one priority Jensen, and if you hurt him again, or he doesn’t come back one hundred percent Jared, I’m going to kick your ass.”  
   
“You’re feisty,” Jensen mumbled with a small frown. “Jared doesn’t want to talk to me or even be around me. I think he’s made that pretty clear by accusing me of trying to run him down with my car, don’t you? If he doesn’t want me around, then fine. He can just go back to your house and if something happens and Josh is too far away it’ll be his fault.”  
   
Angrily, Megan pushed Jensen into one of the lobby chairs. “You know he can’t come home so don’t even suggest it. He told me all about your little contract all right? You’re a sick man for making him live with you like that, but now that he’s hurt, you’re going to use your contract wisely and take the best care of him. Don’t mess around with my brother’s well-being. It won’t turn out pleasantly for you.”  
   
Frowning, Jensen rose to his feet. “I told Jared he was out of the contract as soon as he woke up so if he wanted to go home, there’s nothing stopping him. And then I offered to let him stay at my place because it’s closer to where Josh lives in case he needs medical help and Jared accepted.” Looking down at Megan, he asked, “Was that last part a threat, Miss Padalecki? Because you don’t even begin to scare me.”  
   
“I can be so much scarier if that’s what you really want, Ackles,” Megan assured him, giving him her best glare. It always worked on Chad, so there was no doubt in her mind it wouldn’t at least scare Jensen a little bit. “Now, get into Jared’s room and explain to him what happened the night he was hit by the care; he wants to know.” Checking her watch, Megan frowned. “I have to get to my house. Dad has a doctor’s appointment that I need to be there for; papers need signing and Katie can’t do it because she’s not family. Tell Jared I’ll be back later to fill him in on what Dr. Barker said.”  
   
As Megan walked away, Jensen frowned, thinking about how Jared had asked him where he’d been; almost as if he had been asking for an alibi. It wasn’t bad enough that Jared thought he was raping him, but now he thought Jensen would try to hit him with his car, too? What kind of a horrible person did Jared think Jensen was?! Something needed to be done about this. He needed to try new methods to show Jared just how much he meant to him.  
   
Nevertheless, that was something for another time. Right now, he needed to explain to Jared what had happened because he didn’t remember it for himself. Maybe giving him a few little details would jog something in the younger male’s memory and Jared could possibly fill in the blanks on Jensen’s part. Sighing, Jensen walked back to Jared’s room, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against the door frame. “You care if I come in?”  
   
Jared frowned when Jensen asked permission to come in, ready to make a snide comment though he refrained and instead answered with a nod. Once Jensen was in the room, Jared bit his lip, looking down at the blanket covering his legs. “So, what do you know about what happened to me?” he asked, eyes once again returning to Jensen’s face.  
   
“It was Tom Welling,” Jensen answered. “I don’t know all of the details because I haven’t seen the video yet, but apparently he came to my house and somehow got you walking out the door with him. There was some conversation had and then Tom just pushed you into the street just as a car was coming.” Letting out a deep breath, Jensen took a seat beside Jared in the chair he had more or less claimed as his own for the duration of Jared’s stay. “The outside security cameras caught it all on tape. Chris took them down to station and he’s going to have one of his guys see if he can figure out what you two were talking about.”  
   
Slowly, Jared nodded, trying to remember why he was even in the same place as Tom let alone having a damn conversation with the man. He knew there was something sketchy about him from the moment he laid his eyes on him and now he was in the hospital with broken bones and a concussion after being pushed into the street and getting hit by a car. “Are you going to have Tom arrested?” Jared asked, knowing that the other male had history with Jensen and there was a chance Jensen would just let this slide.  
   
When Jared asked if he was going to have Tom arrested, Jensen scoffed in disbelief. “Of course I’m going to have that scumbag arrested, Jared. He tried to kill you!” Jensen couldn’t believe Jared even had to ask a question like that. “I have Chris and Steve doing a search right now for crying out loud. And I also have them tracking down the owner of the car that hit you. The camera was able to catch the license plate. I’m going to make sure they go away for a long time for hurting you; both of them.”  
   
Hearing Jensen assure him that everything was going to be taken care of and justice was going to be served made Jared feel a little better about what happened. He was starting to think that maybe Jensen wasn’t such a bad guy after all; the thought kind of confused him because he didn’t want to think anything good of the man who had gotten him into this mess. “Okay. Uh, t-thank you for doing this. But I don’t think that the drive should be punished. I mean, if Tom pushed me then it wasn’t their fault they hit me, right? I just don’t think we should bother them.” When Jensen nodded with a smile, Jared returned his smile with a small one of his own. Maybe there was some good in Jensen. After all, the older male did let him out of the contract, so that was a reason for Jensen possibly having a heart. Jared had a feeling he was about to find out if that was actually true.


	9. Chapter Nine

Jensen smiled widely at his brother as he listened to the older male explain what the plan was for the next few weeks. “Jared has improved quite well over the last few days,” Josh explained. “I see no reason why he can’t leave the hospital tomorrow morning.” Seeing his brother’s smile widen, Josh warned, “Don’t go getting too excited Jen, there are still a few precautions we need to take if we want him to heal properly.”  
   
A small chuckle worked its way out of Jensen when Josh told him not to get too excited. “Why would I be getting too excited?” he asked with a shake of his head. “I’m getting excited just enough. I mean, come on Jared’s coming home tomorrow! I have to be at least a little excited, right?!”  
   
Shaking his head, Josh chuckled softly. “Yeah, I guess you can be a little excited,” he answered. “Still, there are rules to follow when you’re dealing with Jared because he’s still fragile. He’s going to have to take it easy; nothing straining. I’m sure that doesn’t seem like a hard task because he had a fractured leg, therefore he’s got limited mobility, but you’d be surprised how creative someone can be if they want to move badly enough.  
   
“Also, there are pain killers he’s going to need in case he’s in too much pain once we take him off the morphine completely, and every now and then he might have a headache because of the concussion. This should only last a couple of weeks and any over the counter aspirin should work just fine. The pain killers are only for severe pain, not headaches.”  
   
Once Josh was finished explaining about the medication and mobility issues, he moved on to something he thought his brother would enjoy more. “Now, these casts on his arm and leg are going to have to be on for a while; anywhere from six to ten weeks would be my guess. So, there’s going to be some issues when he wants to shower. Obviously, if the casts get wet, they’re going to fall apart and I’m not going to be replacing casts every day or two. So, he’s going to need help bathing. Bathtub is probably your best option there; have him get in slowly and keep his right leg hanging out over the edge and his left arm propped up out of the water. In your tub it’s probably going to be pretty easy handling that one, but he will probably need some help anyway.”  
   
Finally, Josh moved on to the last subject of importance. “With the bathing, Jared needs to be very careful not to get his stitches wet. That can easily be avoided by taping a piece of saran wrap over the bandage while he’s washing up. Oh, and the bandage needs to be changed every few days to prevent infection. I’ll show you what needs to be done before he leaves because he’s due for a change.”  
   
Letting out a deep breath, Josh smiled hopefully at Jensen. “Do you think you can remember everything, or do you need me to write it down for you?”  
   
All of the things that needed to be done in order to keep Jared safe were a little overwhelming at first, but Jensen knew he could handle it. The bathing was something he and Jared were going to have to talk about when they were alone because Jensen was about ninety eight percent sure that Jared wouldn’t want him to help with his bath. Of course, Josh couldn’t know that; even with the contract out of place he didn’t want his family to know that he and Jared weren’t together unless his plan to keep Jared didn’t work, so Jensen simply nodded, still wearing that same grin on his face. “I can manage. He can’t have any fun, there’s pills for his pain and he needs help taking a bath; easy as pie.”  
   
Josh had to admit that he was pretty impressed with his brother. Never had Jensen taken an interest in helping any of his “flavors” as his father would call Jensen’s partners, let along gone as far as to take care of someone all on his own for the most part. Sure, Jensen had people who worked for him, but by the way Jensen was talking and actually paying attention, Josh didn’t think they’d be helping much. “All right then. I’ll be over once or twice a week to check on him, too. If all goes well, he should be back to one hundred percent in three months or so.”  
   
Smiling, Jensen thanked his brother before he rushed back to Jared’s room to see if the younger male was awake yet. His smile widened when he got there just as Jared was waking up. “Morning baby,” he greeted as he plopped down in his chair. “You sleep okay?”  
   
When Jensen greeted him, Jared blinked his eyes in Jensen’s direction, a small thoughtful frown coming to his lips. “Don’t you ever go home?” Jared asked, realizing that Jensen was wearing the same black hoodie and faded blue jeans he’d been wearing before Jared fell asleep. “I mean, I appreciate the company but that chair can’t possibly be more appealing than your bed. And I thought your dad was coming here. Doesn’t he hate it when you’re not wearing a suit, or whatever?”  
   
“Yeah well, Dad hasn’t come yet and he’s been saying that for the last day and half, so I’m not worried about it,” Jensen answered with a shrug. “And no, the chair is just fine. I have everything I need right here – a shower in the bathroom, Chris and Steve bring me clean clothes, Josh allows me to order in good food, and you. Why should I go home?”  
   
Color rose to Jared’s cheeks when Jensen named him as one of the things he needed. It wasn’t like Jensen hadn’t ever said corny things like that to him before, but after a man spends almost two weeks straight in a hospital room to stay with you, corny little things like that takes on a whole new meaning. “What about a decent bed?” he asked in an attempt to his embarrassment.  
   
Shrugging, Jensen answered, “Eh, beds are overrated anyway. That chair is actually very comfortable.” He didn’t miss the slight blush come to Jared’s face after his last comment, but he was going to ignore it. After all, a blush could be a good sign and Jensen didn’t want to jinx anything by addressing it.   
   
Jared chuckled softly when Jensen told him beds were overrated. “Yeah well, I bet that chair can’t match the comfort of my bed,” he teased. It was strange that he and Jensen were having a conversation in his opinion; even more strange, he was enjoying himself. Never in a million years did he think something like this would be happening.   
   
When Jared told him that his chair couldn’t match the comfort of his bed, Jensen’s first response would have been to suggest Jared share the bed, but that didn’t seem like the right thing to say at a time like this. Instead, he chuckled, shaking his head. “Don’t get too comfortable on that bed,” he instructed. “Josh and I were just talking and he said that you should be all ready to leave by tomorrow morning. He gave me a list of rules and shit to follow so you’re comfortable when you’re at the house, which we need to talk about later, too.”  
   
“I can go home?” Jared asked with a wide smile on his face. “Or, I mean to your house, anyway.” Excellent; he had been nearly climbing up walls here waiting to be able to leave. Sure, it had only been a few days and he couldn’t imagine what Jensen felt like, but he couldn’t handle hospitals. They were cold and reminded him of death.   
   
Slowly, Jensen let out a deep breath. “Jared, my house is your house too as long as you want it to be,” he explained, lip disappearing between rows of straight white teeth. “But, uh yeah. Josh said you’re healing up nicely and he sees no reason why you have to be stuck here anymore.” He smiled at how excited Jared seemed to be at this news. “Hey, don’t get too excited and hurt yourself. Then you’d be stuck here longer.”  
   
A small laugh broke out of Jared when Jensen told him not to hurt himself. “I’m not going to hurt myself from excitement. I just don’t like hospitals and it’s good to know that I’m going to be able to leave.” He wasn’t sure how he felt about calling Jensen’s home his own, so he just left it at that. Maybe once he was there for a little while and he got to see everyone again, it would feel a little homier. Of course, he knew there was a chance Jensen was going to demand sex, but he didn’t have to allow it because he wasn’t under contract anymore. Life could be good there, he supposed.  
   
The fact that Jared didn’t like hospitals was something Jensen hadn’t known before. “Yeah, I don’t like them either. So, I think I’m excited enough for the both of us that you’re getting released tomorrow.” After all, Jensen had been the one to sit here and worry that Jared wasn’t going to wake up and he was the one who had been awake for most of the time while Jared caught up on his rest.  
   
Hearing that Jensen didn’t like hospitals either, Jared smiled. “Hey, looks like we have something in common after all,” he chuckled, glancing at the doorway to see if breakfast was coming yet. He was starving; it usually happened when he first woke up. When he noticed the breakfast wasn’t here yet, he frowned. “How about you use your magic to conjure me up some breakfast?”  
   
Jensen smiled when Jared asked him to get him some breakfast. “Yeah, all right. I’ll go ask Josh if you can have something other than nasty hospital food and then I’ll head out and grab us something if he says it’s okay,” Jensen explained. Heading out of the room, Jensen flagged down his brother as soon as he spotted him. “Hey, is it all right if I get Jared food from somewhere and bring it in to him? Or is it going to be detrimental to his health, or something?”  
   
“Um, I don’t see why he couldn’t be allowed to have outside food,”Josh answered with a small shake of his head. “Just nothing heavy in case he does have a negative reaction to the meal. Maybe go somewhere like…Fresno’s and get him a coffee and some of their world famous scrambled eggs. I think that should be okay.”  
   
Once he got the okay from Josh, Jensen smiled widely. “Okay thanks! I’ll be back with the food as soon as I can. Until then, Jared’s all yours. Make sure he’s comfortable, please? And if he asks where I am, tell him I’m off getting food.” Not that Jensen thought Jared would ask where he was because he didn’t think Jared would care, but there was still a small chance, he supposed.  
   
**~~**  
   
Food in hand, Jensen whistled a jaunty tune as he walked back into the hospital. He had ordered Jared a French vanilla coffee, three scrambled eggs and two pieces of white toast with all the flavors of jam they had at the restaurant on the side. All in all, he was feeling pretty proud of himself as he made the turn into Jared’s room, a wide smile spreading across his lips when he saw Jared sitting on the bed watching television.  
   
Slowly, he took a seat in the chair he usually sat in and handed Jared the bag which contained his food. “I hope you like eggs. Josh said it was probably the only thing light enough for you to hold down right now. My guess would be because of the medication you’re on.” Of course, Jensen didn’t know for sure since he wasn’t the doctor, but he supposed it was as good a guess as any. “Oh and here’s your coffee. It’s French vanilla flavored and there’s sugar in the bag in case you need it.”  
   
When Jensen gave him the bag of food, Jared smiled, muttering a small “thank you” as he opened it to see what kind of goodies Jensen had gotten him. He recognized the name on the bag as one of those fancy restaurants from up town where Jared only went after Misha had landed a big gig. This one was supposed to be their next in line, so eating it now, here with Jensen, hurt a little bit. But it just smelled so good, and he couldn’t have stopped himself even if he had wanted to.  
   
“Oh my God,” Jared moaned as he chewed the bite of egg in his mouth. “This is so good. I think all of this hospital food has made my taste buds long for something that didn’t taste like bland ash.” He shoveled another bite into his mouth then, moaning once more at the taste. Then again, he was sure that the money Jensen had to pay for such delicious food had something to do with why it was so damn good, but there was a chance the nasty hospital food had something to do with it.  
   
Chuckling, Jensen took a bite of his egg, cheese and bacon sandwich. “Well, hospital food will do that to you, I suppose,” Jensen mused with a small shrug. “Not that I would know. I’ve never been in the hospital as a patient. Only a guest; thank God.” Shaking his head, he pointed to the door. “I would never be able to eat the crap they serve here.”  
   
Jared wasn’t the least bit surprised by that fact. Jensen didn’t seem like the type who ate normal food like the rest of the people Jared knew. He seemed like a high class, fancy eater like the restaurant he’d taken Jared to dinner at the night when he proposed the contract.   
   
The contract; that still loomed over Jared’s head. He didn’t want to believe he was out of it until he knew for sure there was nothing that was going to get him in trouble. If he made the wrong move and his father went down for it, Jared didn’t think he was ever going to be able to forgive himself. So, he made a decision to tread slowly and carefully around Jensen. If he was pulling his chain, then there was no need to make him yank it so hard Jared couldn’t breathe.  
   
When Jared got really quiet and just kind of stared at his food, Jensen frowned. Had he said something wrong? Or maybe the food wasn’t sitting right in Jared’s stomach. Without even thinking about it, Jensen moved closer to Jared, placing his hand on the younger male’s shoulder as he looked into his eyes. “Baby?” he whispered, concern lining his voice.  
   
As Jensen’s hand connected with Jared’s shoulder, Jared jumped slightly, eyes swinging towards Jensen to see what he was doing. The thought that maybe Jensen actually was just yanking his chain about the contract and he was about to demand sex right now, to hell with how Jared felt instantly came to his mind; but he wouldn’t allow it. There were other people around here and even if he couldn’t scream because that would be in violation, he could use it as an excuse to get out of the sex at least for a little while.  
   
“Whoa,” Jensen mumbled when Jared jumped, pulling his hand away from Jared’s body. “Are you all right?” he asked with a small frown. “You were…just kinda staring at nothing for a minute there. Should I go get Josh?”  
   
Quickly, Jared shook his head. “N-No, I’m okay,” he assured Jensen. “I was just thinking about some things.” He really didn’t want to discuss those things, so he changed the subject rather rapidly. “So, when I we leave the hospital, what’s the deal? Am I going to have to be wheeled around in a chair like some kind of invalid?”  
   
At Jared’s reassurance that he was all right, Jensen nodded slightly before he took his seat once again, making sure to pick up his sandwich so he didn’t sit on it. “Uh, I don’t know actually,” he admitted when Jared asked about the wheel chair. “I would imagine so. At least for a little while since with your broken arm crutches are kind of out of the equation. But I’ll ask Josh about it if you want me to.”  
   
He knew that was going to be the answer of course, Jared’s question having only been a distraction to get Jensen off the topic of what he’d been thinking about in case his mind had been going in that direction. “Oh no, you don’t have to. I was just wondering because I’m sure you have better things to do than push me around in a wheel chair when I need to get something,” Jared explained. Biting his lip, he asked, “So does that leave some nurse who works for you, or something? Or are you just going to have Danneel or Rob or someone at the house help me around?”  
   
It was a little unnerving that Jared thought he was just going to shove him off to anyone who would take him once he was out of the hospital. And Jensen had to admit that he was a little insulted by the suggestion. “Actually, I don’t have anything better to do,” Jensen assured him with a small frown. “Do you have a problem with me taking care of you? Because if you do, then I suppose I can get Danneel or Rob to help out.”  
   
When Jensen informed him that he was going to be taking care of him, Jared’s eyes widened marginally; he was unable to believe that Jensen was going to be the one waiting on him hand and foot. “Y-You’re going to take care of me?” he asked, shock clear in his voice. Seeing Jensen merely nod in answer with his brows raised as though he were asking if that was all right, Jared explained, “It’s just that – I mean, I’ll probably need a lot of help. Are you going to be able to have time to do that?”  
   
Shrugging, Jensen answered, “I’ll make time. I work for my father, so it’s not like I can’t take a few weeks off to help you around the house because you’re hurt. I mean, as far as any of them know you are my boyfriend.” Frowning, Jensen added, “Well, for now at least. Until I tell them that it was all a hoax and I forced you into it.”  
   
Jared’s eyes widened to a near comical size when Jensen muttered that he was going to tell everyone that it was a hoax. That would mean that Jensen was actually releasing him from the contract? But then again, this could just be a game Jensen was playing to get Jared’s hopes up, and he wasn’t going to let Jensen get the best of him. Instead, he just shrugged before he said, “Okay. Sounds like a plan, I guess. I mean, as long as it’s all right with your father. You losing your job because of me isn’t something I could live with.”  
   
“I’m not going to lose my job because of you,” Jensen assured him with a shake of his head. “I just have to tell him that I’m really into you and that you’re the one for me; no more sleeping around.” That statement made Jensen laugh a little. “He’ll get a real kick out of that one for sure. His youngest son settling down; he never would have imagined the day ever coming.”   
   
After a short pause as he thought about what his father would to him getting married to Jared someday and then having Jensen tell him it was all a lie, Jensen put on his smile again and looked at Jared. “So, it’s settled. I’ll take time off my job to take care of you. No arguments.”  
   
A small smile came to Jared’s face when Jensen told him not to argue. Then again, when had he ever listened to that order? But today was a new day and the deal seemed reasonable, so he just shrugged and went back to eating his food. “You know I can be a real pain in the ass when I have nothing better to do than sit around and stare at the ceiling,” he warned, brow raised as he waited for Jensen to take back the offer to help him out while he was healing.  
   
When Jared mentioned that he could be a pain in the ass when he had nothing to do but stare at the ceiling, Jensen frowned thoughtfully. “Oh, well aren’t you always a pain in the ass?” he asked, a wide smile cracking out on his face when Jared’s jaw dropped as if he were insulted. The flying eggs were something Jensen didn’t expect and he narrowly made the escape before he was covered in scrambled eggs.  
   
**~~**  
   
“So, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about that needed to wait until we were alone to do it?” Jared asked as Jensen moved around the room, picking up clothes and law books on the ground that he saw as a safety hazard. Sure, Danneel was his house cleaner, but she never stepped foot into Jensen’s room. He didn’t allow it   
   
Hearing Jared ask about what he had needed to discuss with him about, Jensen frowned, tossing the dirty clothes into the hamper and laying the books on top of his dresser. “Huh?” he asked, not having been paying attention to the younger male. So when Jared repeated the question, Jensen sighed, not sure he wanted to discuss it at this moment since he and Jared hadn’t really had a fight since Jared came back here.  
   
Finally, after Jared staring at him expectantly for about thirty seconds, Jensen sighed as he took a seat on the foot of the bed. “Uh, when I was talking to Jeff about what needed to be done before you were completely healed, he brought up the issue of washing up. You can’t get your casts wet, so you’re going to need help and I was just wondering if you would rather have someone else help you instead of me.” Jensen didn’t want to make Jared uncomfortable like he seemed to every time he laid a hand on the younger male.   
   
Now that Jensen mentioned it, Jared remembered that he couldn’t clean himself with a broken arm and a fractured leg without hoping to keep his casts dry. And he knew Josh probably wouldn’t want to change casts every other day at the most, so he did need some help, he supposed. But the question was, did he want Jensen’s help?  
   
There was no one else to help him, really. After all, Danneel and Samantha were women and he didn’t need to be naked in front of them and Rob surely didn’t want to see him in the nude, he suspected. Jeffrey had become like a second father to him, so it would have been weird to have him assist Jared in the tub, so there was only Jensen left. He’d seen Jared naked before, so it was nothing new to either of them and Jared knew Jensen had no problem seeing him naked again.   
   
Sighing, Jared shook his head as he answered, “You are basically the only one who can help me, so obviously it’s going to be you.” A small smile came to his face when Jensen looked at him like he had just solved the world’s most complicated algebraic expression. “Unless you don’t want to help me.”  
   
Jensen couldn’t believe that Jared was going to willingly allow him to touch his body while he was naked. This was a sign that Jared was warming up to him, he was sure and he found himself starting to wonder why he didn’t just go about this whole plan like this in the first place. Then he remembered Misha and knew exactly why he hadn’t done it the right way.  
   
However, he didn’t see how he was the only one who could help Jared. He was sure there were other people here could do just as well as he did, if not better. “How am I the only one who can help you? Samantha and Danneel are both girls so they have that natural motherly instinct.” Frowning, he rephrased, “Well, Samantha does; I think Danneel broke hers. And don’t be an idiot; of course I want to help.”  
   
When Jensen asked how he was the only one able to help, Jared felt color rise to his cheeks. Maybe he hadn’t thought it through enough. “Well, yeah I know that, but Samantha is like my mother and I’m a twenty three year old man. I don’t want her to see me naked. And I don’t think Danneel likes me very much so I’d have to worry about her hurting me.” Pointing at Jensen, he added, “And before you ask, Rob probably couldn’t help me because he’s so much smaller and Jeffrey is like a second father to me so it’s the same deal as Samantha. That leaves only you.”  
   
At Jared’s comment about Danneel, Jensen frowned, wondering if his past lover had said something to Jared that would make him feel threatened by her. He would have to talk to her about it later, he supposed, wanting to see for himself if she didn’t like Jared. Maybe she had been the one to tell Tom that Jensen wasn’t here that night and that was why he came around, which led to Jared getting hurt. If that was the case, Danneel was fired and Jensen was going to make sure she went away along with that sleazebag Tom Welling.  
   
But right now, he had better things to think of; like the fact that he was going to be able to give Jared a sponge bath. Of course, he wasn’t going to do anything other than bath the younger male, but this was an excuse to touch. And if the sponge slipped out of his hand a few times, it wasn’t his fault. Sponges were known for their slippery nature; at least that was going to be his excuse if it happened.  
   
“Okay then, I guess I get the lucky task of helping you out,” Jensen answered with a small smile. “We’ll do that tomorrow before Josh comes over so you’re nice and fresh when you see him. Sound good to you?”  
   
Jared nodded when Jensen asked if the plan sounded good to him. After all, he really didn’t have a say in it as far as he was concerned. Jensen was helping him and he would take the help on Jensen’s time, not his own. It was really nice of the older male to take him in like this so he could have easier access to the doctor if he needed it. Of course, Jared knew it was probably only for selfish reasons, but it was still really nice of him. And now that he thought about it, if he was at his own house, he’d have to wait for six to ten weeks to bathe because there was no way he would be asking Megan to help him with that and his father was too weak for something like that, which left only Jared. And as he had already established, it would have been impossible to do it alone and still keep the casts dry.  
   
Returning Jared’s nod, Jensen looked at his watch. “So, it’s about five thirty right now, I’m going to see what Samantha has cooking up for us tonight. And then when I get back in here, hopefully with some grub, you want to watch a movie, or something? I’m sure there’s something playing on pay per view if you want to.”  
   
At the mention of food, Jared’s stomach rumbled. He had missed Samantha’s cooking more than he thought he would while he was away and it kind of made him a little scared. After all, when he left Jensen’s house, Samantha wouldn’t be cooking for him anymore and he would go back to whatever it was he made them every night. Unless Megan decided to take over since she liked to experiment and cook more than Jared did. “Yeah, I’m obviously hungry,” he chuckled, looking down at his belly. “And if you want to watch a movie, I guess we could. I mean, it’s not like I can do much else.”  
   
When Jared told him he was hungry, Jensen nodded with a soft smile. “Yeah, I can hear that. Let’s just hope she has it done.” Before he left the room, he handed Jared the television remote. “Here, see what’s on and if you like something order it. I’ll be back as soon as I can be.” With that, Jensen was out the door and on his way to the kitchen. However, on his way there, he saw Danneel and figured this would be a perfect time to see if Jared’s fears were justified. He caught her elbow as he passed her and headed into his study where no one would be able to overhear their conversation; especially Jared.   
   
“Hey, Jensen what are you doing?” Danneel asked as she reluctantly followed him into the study. The last time the two of them had been in here, she was playing a naughty maid and Jensen was playing a very dirty boy. Not that she would mind a repeat of that, but at the moment she was a little busy cleaning the plasma screen TV. “Why did you drag me in here? Because if it was for sex, it’s not happening right now, Mister. I am too --”  
   
It figured Danneel would think Jensen dragged her in here for sex. Ever since that one time, she had wanted to try it again, but Jensen wasn’t interested. She was a good looking girl, but Jensen was only interested in her that one time. After that, she grew boring to him and now she was just his ex who cleaned his house and made it nice and pretty for the guests. “I didn’t drag you in here for sex,” he interrupted her little rant. “I brought you in here to ask you something. Did you call Tom that night and tell him I wasn’t home so he could come here and get Jared alone?”  
   
Danneel’s eyes widened when Jensen asked if she had called Tom and told him Jared was here alone. “What?!” she asked, her feelings of insult clear in her voice. “No, I didn’t call Tom and tell him Jared was here by himself that night! Why the hell would I do something like that? I hate Tom Welling; he’s a waste of space.”  
   
Either Danneel was a very good actress, or she was telling the truth. And Jensen happened to know just how bad of an actress she was because she could not act like a dirty maid, so he knew she wasn’t lying. “I was just asking because Jared feels that you don’t like him and he was worried that if I asked you to help him get around or do something, you might hurt him on purpose.”  
   
Shrugging, Danneel answered, “Well, he’d be right on the not liking him part. But I would never hurt him on purpose. And there is no way I would have Tom come over here and attempt to kill him. Just because he’s not my favorite person in the world doesn’t mean I want him dead.”  
   
“Why don’t you like him?” Jensen asked, knowing that it was none of his business but asking regardless. After all, he and Danneel shared a lot of things about her that wasn’t any of his business. Like the fact that she had a huge crush on Chris when they first met and she had been devastated to learn that he was gay.  
   
Again, Danneel shrugged in answer. “I just don’t. I mean, you spend all of your time and a lot of your money on Jared and he doesn’t even seem to appreciate it. He still treats you like you’re dog shit on the bottom of his cheap shoe that won’t come off and he acts like a spoiled little brat when he doesn’t get his way. Really Jen, I don’t think it’s right. You deserve to be with someone better.”  
   
When Danneel told Jensen what she thought of Jared, he frowned, certainly not liking the way she was talking about the one man he had ever fallen in love with. “Someone like you, you mean?” he asked, anger barely shining through his voice.   
   
At Jensen’s question, Danneel shrugged once more. “I’m not saying that. But we were good together that time. We actually get along because I’m here on my own free will. And at least I treat you with some respect. The only reason Jared’s ever here is because of some contract you made up so he wouldn’t leave you. I mean, is that how you want him? Bound to you like that? He’ll never fall in love with you that way because it’s like he’s a prisoner. Not that it matters; I think it would be better if you just kicked him to the curb right now and spared yourself the heartache when he leaves you later.”  
   
Before Jensen could say anything, Danneel admitted, “I heard the two of you arguing that night before he was pushed in front of that car. If he thinks you’re such a horrible person and that you raped him every time the two of you had sex, why do you even want to be with him, Jen?”  
   
Angrily, Jensen pushed away from his desk, which he had been leaning on as he listened to Danneel speak. “What I do with my personal life is none of your business,” he spat. “And don’t try to give advice on how to run my life. I’ve been doing just fine for twenty seven years; I think I can manage for whatever time I have left.” With that, he began to walk to the door only to turn back around and warn, “And if you ever do anything to hurt Jared, I’ll make sure you and Tom have a nice cozy cell right next to each other in federal prison.”  
   
As he walked out of the room, he slammed the door behind him, knowing that when Danneel wanted to leave the room, she would. He didn’t care about her reply now because she had royally pissed him off. Right now, he just wanted to get dinner and watch a movie with Jared. He would deal with everything else he had on his mind later, Danneel’s words having brought up some bad memories that he had wanted to keep buried inside his brain. Hopefully, Jared would forgive him for the things that he’d done and they could get past this. If not, then he supposed he would just have to count his losses and go back to screwing anything that looked good on a particular night.  
   
“Are you okay, sweetie?” Samantha asked when Jensen walked into the kitchen. “I heard a door slamming. Did you and Jared get into another fight?” She had been here that night Jensen and Jared had blown up at each other as well, and although she didn’t agree with what Jensen was doing to Jared, she did think Jared had been a little harsh with Jensen. After all, she could tell Jensen really cared about the younger male; he had just been going at it the wrong way.  
   
Nodding, Jensen plopped down on one of the bar stools at the breakfast nook. “Yeah, I’m fine. It was Danneel and I. Jared and I are all right for now, I think. We’re going to watch a movie while we eat.” Pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose, Jensen let out a deep breath before he turned his attention to Samantha once more. “So, is dinner ready yet?”  
   
Samantha smiled at Jensen when he told her that he and Jared were going to watch a movie while they ate. Usually, he didn’t let anyone eat in his room, so Jared must have been really special. “Yeah, it’s ready. I was talking to Jared a little earlier while you were on the phone with your brother and he made a request for pizza. So, here’s his homemade pepperoni and mushroom pizza with ranch dressing on the side.”  
   
At the mention of ranch dressing with pizza, Jensen frowned up at Samantha. “What does he need ranch dressing for?” he asked. “It’s not a salad.”  
   
A small chuckle broke out of Samantha when Jensen asked why he needed ranch dressing. “You can tell you never enjoy your food the right way. You dip the crust into the dressing and it adds a little flavor. Just like the cheese I stuffed in there.” As Jensen stared at it a long moment before picking it up and walking back to his room with it, a root beer, a beer, and some plates, Samantha piped up. “Hey Jensen, I think Jared’s a nice young man. Definitely a keeper. So don’t screw it up.”  
   
When Samantha gave her stamp of approval on Jared, Jensen smiled. “Yeah, I know he is,” he assured her with a nod. “And I’m trying not to screw it up, but you know me.” Giving Samantha another small frown, he walked back to his room and laid the pizza pan out on the bed between them before he gave Jared his drink and a plate. “So, what are we watching?”  
   
“House of Wax,” Jared answered with a small smile. “I’ve never seen it. I was supposed to go see it when it came out, but that didn’t work out very well. Megan decided that she wanted to have a sleepover instead and I didn’t want to go by myself.” Grabbing a slice of pizza, Jared looked at Jensen. “Is this okay?” he asked, hoping Jensen didn’t mind he’d ordered it without asking first.  
   
Smiling, Jensen nodded. “Yeah, it’s perfect. I haven’t seen it either. I was also supposed to go watch it, but then my dad needed me to work late on some case we were dealing with.” Grabbing his own slice of pizza, Jensen nudged the ranch towards Jared. “Samantha said you wanted this. It’s weird if you ask me, but whatever.”  
   
A wide smile broke out on Jared’s face when Jensen handed him the ranch dressing. “This is not weird,” he assured him with a shake of his head. “You not using ranch dressing for your pizza is weird. Live a little, Jensen.”  
   
Jensen took a look at the ranch dressing, then at his pizza before he frowned. “No thanks. I’d rather not be a freak who eats ranch dressing on something that’s not a salad.” Turning his attention to the screen, Jensen teased, “Freak.”  
   
When Jensen called him a freak, Jared laughed whole heartedly, slapping Jensen in the arm with his good arm. So, maybe this was the start of a really good friendship. Perhaps getting hit by a car was the best thing that ever happened to Jared. He supposed he’d find out soon enough.


	10. Chapter Ten

Shaking his head, the man in question quickly explained, “I swear to God, I didn’t push him. It was slippery out and when I opened my car door, I accidentally bumped into him. He slipped on the wet road and fell in front of that car. That’s what really happened. I don’t know what lies he’s been telling you, but my story is the truth.”  
   
Chad glared at Tom as he fabricated this lie right before him. Of course, Tom had no idea what evidence they had against him, so there had been no doubt in Chad’s mind that the other male was going to try to lie his way out of prison. It wouldn’t work, but it had surely been a valiant effort. “We’ll look into your story and let you know what’s going on,” he assured him, standing before walking towards the door. He stopped and spoke to the officer inside with him before exiting. “Take him to lock up. He’s lying but we need to have Ackles down here to arrest him. Mayor’s on his side, or whatever.”  
   
“It’s about time that little weasel emerges,” Jensen growled into the phone. “It’s been two months since he pushed Jared in front of a car, and he’s been living it up in Peru! I want him behind bars Chris, and I want it now!”  
   
It was no surprise to Chris that Jensen wanted Tom Welling’s head on a stick. He’d only been talking about all of the evil plans he had for the other male when he finally came out of hiding. Not that Chris could blame Jensen. He liked Jared too and he didn’t have any problem getting back at the little flea for what he’d done two months ago. “Yeah, I know Jen. We have him in central booking right now, but we’re under strict orders not to transport him to county until you’re here. When will that be, by the way?”  
   
Although he knew Chris wouldn’t see it, Jensen shrugged. “I don’t know,” he answered. “I have a ton of things to do today. Josh is coming tomorrow so Jared is demanding that he get cleaned up because he’s afraid he’ll stink when Josh gets here. I have to change Jared’s bandage and make sure he’s comfortable. I mean, my day looks booked until about 7:30 tonight. You can leave him in there a full twenty four hours before you have to release him, right?”  
   
A small chuckle escaped Chris when Jensen named off everything he had to do today. “Sounds like you and Jared are getting along a lot better since the accident,” Chris teased with a wide smile on his face that could practically be heard through the phone. “Are we seeing little wedding bells and rings in our future, Jensen?”  
   
Rolling his eyes, Jensen shot back, “Shut up. We’re just getting to know each other better since there’s nothing else to do with him being all broken and shit. But…if he thinks he wants to when I ask him to marry me, then yes, you may be seeing little wedding rings.”  
   
**~~**  
   
Jared squirmed around on the bed, trying to calm his screaming bladder. Jensen was on the phone, and when he looked at the caller ID, Jensen seemed like it had been important, so he didn’t want to bother him. But Jensen had been on the phone for nearly ten minutes now and Jared really had to go to the bathroom. Sighing, he swung his legs off of the bed, careful not to hit his cast off of the bed frame. He then used his good arm and began pushing himself closer to the edge of the bed so he could stand.   
   
Finally, Jared made it to his feet, or foot as is more accurate, and hopped his way over to the wall, almost tripping once but managing to catch himself on Jensen’s dresser. It was only a few more hops to Jensen’s bathroom, and it would have worked just fine if Jared hadn’t been startled by a door closing, which caused him to fall face first onto the floor, a shriek leaving him as he went down.  
   
“Hang on Chris,” Jensen mumbled, head turned towards the noise he’d heard coming from the bedroom. “I heard something fall. I’ll call you back in a little bit.” Once Chris gave him the okay, Jensen hung up, walking quickly to his room, eyes widened when he saw Jared on the floor cradling his broken arm. “Jay, what happened, baby?!” he demanded as he ran towards him and started to pick the younger male up off the ground.   
   
When Jared heard Jensen’s voice, he knew he was going to be in trouble for getting out of bed by himself. “I…had to pee and you were on the phone, so I figured I could just do it myself,” he explained, hissing in slight pain when Jensen finally got him to his feet. “But then I heard a door closing and it caught me off guard. When I was falling, I put my hands out to catch myself, which was a bad idea.”  
   
Jensen frowned deeply when Jared explained what happened to him, shaking his head. “You should have yelled for me,” he chastised. “You could have hurt yourself, baby.” Taking Jared’s broken arm in his hand, he examined it carefully and made sure the cast didn’t break. It didn’t, which meant there was probably not a lot of damage done. Still, it could have been much worse. “And how were you planning on going to the bathroom once in there, anyway?”  
   
Now it was Jared’s turn to frown. “I hadn’t really thought that far ahead,” he admitted. “I just knew I had to pee and I didn’t want to bother you while you were on the phone. It seemed like an important call.” He frowned more deeply as Jensen examined his cast, hoping that he hadn’t done anything to further damage himself. If he had then he would have Jensen, Megan and Josh on his ass telling him how bad of an idea this had been. It was bad enough to have Jensen; he didn’t need his sister and doctor yelling at him too.  
   
Shaking his head, Jensen assured him, “Jay, there’s nothing more important to me than you, okay? If you need something and I’m on the phone or I look busy, just ask. Whoever I’m talking to or whatever I’m doing can wait.”  
   
Color rose to Jared’s cheeks when Jensen told him there was nothing more important that he in his opinion. Over the last two months, Jensen had been nothing but nice to Jared; taking care of him, making sure his family was welcome at any time so they could hang out, not demanding sex, which had really surprised Jared. Of course, when Jared mentioned it, Jensen nearly blew up, telling him that he wasn’t going to demand sex and make Jared feel like he was getting raped ever again; especially when he was broken the way he was right now.  
   
Needless to say, Jared felt like a real asshole that night when they’d gone to bed. He should have known Jensen didn’t want anything like that from him when they came back to the house because the older male had offered to sleep on the couch if Jared didn’t want him in the same bed. So, there was definitely something different about Jensen, which meant he might not have been lying about Jared being the most important thing to him. God, Jared hoped so.  
   
And because of this change, Jared was starting to see that this whole time, being forced to live with Jensen and act as though they were dating, the forced sex; it had all been Jensen’s way of trying to win Jared over, he’d just been going at it the wrong way. Now, he was doing it right, and Jared was almost completely sure it was working. He wasn’t one hundred percent sure though because he needed to talk to Megan before he made any rash decisions. She would know what to do; she always did.  
   
But he could definitely see himself with Jensen romantically as long as he kept acting like this. He was definitely a completely different person since the accident, and Jared hoped it wasn’t just a front to get back on his good side. If this was how Jensen was planning on acting all of the time now, Jared could definitely see a future for them.  
   
“I’m sorry,” Jared mumbled, biting his lip. “I should have yelled for you instead of trying to do it on my own.” Slowly, he released his lower lip, glancing at Jensen before returning his attention to the cast on his arm. “Did I just cause more damage to myself?”  
   
When Jared apologized, Jensen shook his head, letting Jared know that he was forgiven. “I don’t think you did,” he answered with another shake of his head. “We’ll have to ask Josh, though. I’m not a doctor, so even if the cast isn’t broken, there may be a chance something else in there got hit with the bad luck.”  
   
Slowly, Jared nodded, not happy that they had to tell Josh, but knowing that Jensen was right. “Okay. Um…can you help me to the bathroom now?” he asked, once again biting his bottom lip. “I really have to go.”  
   
Realizing that he was just standing there like an idiot, Jensen nodded, finally snapping out of the near daze he was in. “Yeah, we should – we should do that,” he answered. Slowly, he helped Jared wrap his arm around his neck before he started walking to the bathroom, making sure to be extra careful with Jared.  
   
Once they were in the bathroom, Jensen repositioned them so that he was standing behind Jared, arm wrapped around the younger male’s waist as he held him up. “Just relax back against me like you usually do; it’s okay.”  
   
Jared nodded when Jensen instructed him to lean back against him. He always told Jared to do this and each time, Jared was a little reluctant. After all, it was a little embarrassing having to be help up by another man while he pissed, so he was bound to be a little tense. Nevertheless, Jared leaned back and allowed Jensen to hold him up as he shoved his hand into his basketball shorts and whipped out his cock so he could do his business.  
   
When he was finished, he allowed Jensen to help him turn on the water and get soap so he could wash his hand. It seemed like every little thing was a chore and he couldn’t wait to get these damn casts off because of it.   
   
“You know while we’re in here, we should get your bath out of the way,” Jensen suggested, rubbing Jared’s hand off with the hand towel. “I mean, it would be pointless for you to go back into the bedroom and get all comfortable just to have to walk back in here to get a bath, right?”  
   
At the mention of taking care of his bath while he was already in here, Jared nodded, agreeing totally with Jensen that it was a stupid idea to get comfortable and then do this all over again. “Yeah, okay,” he answered, his good hand moving to the waistband of his basketball shorts. He was going to need to wash some clothes soon because he was down to one pair of shorts now that these ones were dirty.  
   
Seeing that Jared was struggling a little bit trying to get his shorts off, Jensen gently took his good hand, forcing Jared to stop pushing at his clothing. “Let me help?” he asked, biting his lip as he waited for Jared to give him the go ahead. Once Jared nodded, Jensen gently tugged him closer, placing his good hand on his shoulder before gently resting the hand of his broken arm on his shoulder as well. He then tucked his index fingers into the waistband of Jared’s shorts and boxers, pulling the material down past his hips.  
   
As Jensen disrobed him, Jared stared at the opposite wall, trying not to get scared that this was the day Jensen would ask for sex. It had been two months and still Jensen hadn’t asked. He was sure it was coming, he just didn’t know when. And every time he and Jensen were in this bathroom getting him ready for his bath, Jared got worried that his luck was going to run out. Sure, Jensen had told him he wasn’t going to force him like that ever again, but Jared wasn’t sure he could totally trust the older male quite yet.  
   
Once Jensen had Jared’s shorts down past his knees, he let them simply fall down the rest of the way to pool at Jared’s ankles. “I’m going to get down there and help you take off the shorts, so just let your good hand follow me,” he explained as he started to kneel in front of Jared. He tried not to think about Jared’s naked cock being inches away from his face while he gripped Jared’s hip with one hand to hold him up and instructed the younger male to slowly take a seat on the edge of the tub as he pulled the clothing out from under him.  
   
Jared let out a slow breath as Jensen knelt in front of him, feeling exposed knowing that Jensen’s face was just inches away from his bare dick. He knew if Jensen was going to demand sex, it was going to be now. After all, the older male was already down there; it would have been so easy for Jensen to just grab his cock and start blowing him until he was too hard to deny sex. Or, at least that’s what Jensen would have thought. Jared didn’t need sex, even if he was hard as a rock, he still would have told Jensen no. The contract was out the window, so there was nothing forcing him to allow Jensen access to his body anymore.  
   
He had to admit, he was a little surprised when Jensen merely stood and turned on the water. Surely, Jared thought that Jensen was at least going to make a snide comment about wanting to do something sexual with Jared at least. But he didn’t. For some reason, a pang on pain shot through Jared at the thought of Jensen not wanting him anymore, which was a little surprising in itself. Just as Jared was possibly starting to fall for him and Jensen wasn’t interested anymore.  
   
Not that Jared should have been surprised. After all, everyone knew about Jensen’s colorful sex life and his reputation to use them and lose them. Hell, wasn’t that the reason Jared had left that morning after they had sex at the party? Still, it hurt a little to know that he had fucked up his chance when he didn’t want anything to do with Jensen and now that he might have wanted to explore with the older male, he wasn’t going to have a chance to do so.  
   
Sitting on the side of the tub completely naked while Jensen got to be fully clothed always made Jared feel a little uncomfortable. He wasn’t all that attractive when he was naked in his opinion, and he didn’t like it when other people saw him without clothes on unless the other person was naked too. But he never asked Jensen to get naked, so he just sucked it up and tried to focus on something else. His basketball shorts on the ground seemed as good as anything, so he stared at them, waiting for Jensen to tell him what to do next.  
   
Jensen made sure to keep a hand on Jared in case the younger male went to fall as he reached under the sink and grabbed the saran wrap and tape. He had started keeping them under the sink after the first three weeks of having to go out into the kitchen to grab them while Jared sat on the tub. The one time Jared had been really tired and almost fell, which had been the last straw; since then, Jensen kept the supplies he needed close so he could always reach them while having a hand on Jared.  
   
From inside the drawer under the sink, Jensen grabbed the scissors he would need to cut the saran wrap before he laid all of the items on the edge of the tub beside Jared. “Just think,” Jensen started as he cut a square of the saran wrap away from the roll, “Josh said that your casts should be able to come off in a week or two. Then you won’t have to worry about getting a bath like this. You could actually use the shower.”  
   
A small smile came to Jared lips when Jensen told him he wouldn’t have to get a bath like this anymore after these casts were off. “Yeah, but physical therapy is going to be a bitch,” he assured him with a shrug. “I mean, I’ll probably have to bath still because until I regain the muscle function in the fractured leg, I won’t be able to stand on my own.”  
   
“I could always get in the shower with you if you don’t want to take a bath,” Jensen assured him without thinking. However, when he realized what he’d just said, his eyes widened before he looked back up at Jared. “Or, you know if you wanted me to. The bath tub isn’t all that bad, I guess.” Dammit, why did he always manage to stick his foot in his mouth?!  
   
When Jensen suggested that he get into the shower with Jared, he was surprised by the little twitch the suggestion elicited from his cock, cheeks reddening as he hoped Jensen didn’t notice it. He didn’t know how to answer Jensen’s statement, so he merely shrugged. “I guess we’ll just have to see what happens after the casts are off,” he mumbled, eyes crossing as he looked up at what Jensen was doing to the stitches on his head. “Those are starting to fall out,” he mused idly.  
   
Nodding, Jensen pressed the tape against the top, bottom and sides of the square, making sure it was all but air tight so no water would get in there. “Yeah, they’ll probably all be out by the end of the week. That’s one less thing we have to worry about before we finally get you in here, so that’s a plus, right?”  
   
Jared nodded slightly when Jensen asked if it was a plus. “I guess so. I mean, I hate this part because when they’re falling out, they start to get really itchy.” Frowning, Jared’s eyes followed Jensen as he kneeled down in front of him once more. He really was hot. Jared hadn’t allowed himself to think it before because he had been protesting the older male more or less, but now that he was over that, Jared let himself look and appreciate.   
   
The freckles littering Jensen’s face was what turned him on the most. There was just something about freckles on a grown man that made Jared weak in the knees. Misha didn’t have freckles, which Jared had always kind of been bummed about after having seen Jensen’s that night. Then again, freckles wouldn’t have looked right on Misha because of his eyes. Jensen had the perfect eyes for freckles; the grass green color really setting them off as far as Jared was concerned.  
   
“What?” Jensen asked when he realized Jared was staring at him. He didn’t like it when people stared at him because it made him feel very self-conscious. Especially when it was Jared staring at him; he didn’t want the younger male to see any more of his flaws than he already had.   
   
Quickly, Jared shook his head, color once again rising to his cheeks. “Nothing. I was just… thinking and I guess I was staring at you while I did so.” Biting his lip, he mumbled, “Sorry.” He should have known that Jensen didn’t like to be stared at; no one did, really. God, he was so stupid. He was going to give away his little crush, or whatever it was before he had time to properly analyze it. Surely, he couldn’t let that happen, so he cleared his throat before he asked, “So, are we going to get me in there, or am I just going to sit here all day?”  
   
At Jared’s question, Jensen nodded. “Yeah, we’ll get you in there. Just be slow about it. I don’t want you to fall,” he answered with a small frown. The last time Jared got a bath, he’d been trying to move too fast and almost fell into the tub instead of gotten in there nice and gently like he was supposed to.   
   
As Jared started to get in, Jensen wrapped his arms around the younger male’s waist, helping to keep him steady as he pressed his good hand against the wall and lowered himself into the tub, making sure to keep his right leg out of the water and hanging over the edge of the tub, left arm resting against the edge of the tub as well. “See, that’s getting easier, I think,” Jared smiled as he settled back into the nice warm water. One good thing about doing this all of the time, Jensen finally knew what temperature Jared liked his water at. “This water’s at the perfect temperature,” Jared complimented, eyes closing as he relaxed further, figuring Jensen would just get to washing like he usually did.  
   
Smiling, Jensen shrugged slightly. “What can I say? I know how my baby likes his water,” he answered, his smile turning somewhat smug. He was glad that he’d finally gotten it right, after all. When he saw Jared relax back into the water, his smile grew wider before he grabbed up the wash cloth and soap, lathering the soap into the cloth so he could start washing Jared’s body. This was definitely his favorite part of helping Jared out while he was injured.   
   
Once he had the wash cloth soapy enough, he pressed it against Jared’s neck, gently rubbing slow circles into the tender flesh. He liked to star with Jared’s neck first because the younger male would always tilt his head to give Jensen better access and sometimes a little moan would escape him. Today, Jensen was rewarded with that moan, causing him to smile as he slowly moved down to Jared’s chest.  
   
“Mm…” Jared moaned as he licked his lips, just relaxing against Jensen’s gentle touches. He knew how much Jensen liked to hear him moan, so he didn’t suppress any of the noises threatening to break from him today as Jensen washed his neck like he usually would have. “Feels really good.” Normally, Jared wouldn’t have been so forward, but if Jensen was losing interest in him, then he had to do something to bring Jensen back on board. Compliments and moaning seemed like a good way to do it.  
   
When Jared told him that the washing felt really good, Jensen smiled widely. “Yeah?” he asked, his voice taking on a slightly seductive tone. “The water or the way my hand’s moving the wash cloth against you?”  
   
Hearing Jensen ask if it was the water or the way his hand felt against him, Jared smirked. Really, it was both, but Jared wasn’t quite ready to reveal that to Jensen just yet. So, he answered simply, “The water, what’d you think?” Jared asked as he shook his head.  
   
The seductive manner Jensen had taken on at the mention that it felt good quickly left when Jared told him that it was just the water that felt good. “Nothing. I just thought you would be appreciative of my magic fingers,” he answered with a small smile. “But I’ll take the compliment on the water since that was my doing, too.”  
   
A small laugh escaped Jared when Jensen told him he would take the compliment. It was at least one thing that Jensen could pride himself on. “Okay, you do that,” Jared answered with a smile. “So, what time did Josh say he was coming over tonight?” Jared asked, trying to distract Jensen from the way Jared’s body was reacting as the older male moved the cloth lower on his body, Jensen running the cloth over Jared’s lower abdomen.   
   
As Jensen finished washing Jared’s abdomen, he licked his lips, wondering if he should just take a chance and wash lower. After all, Jared had seemed a little more eager to let him touch today so maybe he wouldn’t freak out. Then again, if he didn’t want him touching him like that, then all of the progress Jensen had made would be lost. So, he decided to just hand Jared the wash cloth so he could finish himself. “Uh, I don’t remember. Somewhere around six, I think,” he answered with a shrug.  
   
For a second, Jared thought that Jensen was going to just keep going lower and finish the job. The thought had his blood pumping a little faster and his cock twitching once again. He wasn’t sure what he would have done if Jensen hadn’t stopped, but he knew there was a mixture of happiness and sadness when he was given the washcloth so he could wash himself the rest of the way. Jared did so quickly, tossing the cloth onto the edge of the tub before he looked back up at Jensen, waiting for the older male to wash his hair so he could get out of the tub.  
   
Once his hair was washed, Jared allowed Jensen to help him out of the tub. Getting out was always a lot harder than getting in, but Jensen always managed to make sure Jared got out safely. “You should have been a nurse,” Jared mused in an attempt to take his mind off Jensen’s hands running all over his body as he dried him off.   
   
“Yeah, that wasn’t happening,” Jensen chuckled when Jared told him he should have been a nurse. “I hate taking care of people for the most part. You’re the only one I would even think to help if you were in trouble. Or, you know, hurt like this.” Jared was special, and although Jensen wished he never would have had to do this, he didn’t care that Jared needed him. He just wished that Jared had never been hurt.  
   
Jared’s eyes widened when Jensen told him hated taking care of people. Well, except him, of course. It seemed like Jared got a lot of special treatment when it came to Jensen. “Seems to me like you bend your rules a lot for me,” Jared muttered, biting his lip as he watched Jensen kneel down and dry off his good leg, Jared’s hand on Jensen’s shoulder so he wouldn’t fall over.   
   
Slowly, Jensen pushed to his feet, arm wrapping around Jared’s waist as soon as he did. “Yeah,” he answered with a small nod. “I do bend my rules for you.” Pushing a lock of hair out of Jared’s face, Jensen muttered, “You should consider yourself lucky. Anyone else and I would have hired a live-in nurse to take care of them. And the nurse certainly wouldn’t have had my charm.”  
   
A small laugh escaped Jared when Jensen told him that the nurse wouldn’t have had his charm. “Okay, whatever you say,” he chuckled with a small shake of his head. As Jensen helped him to the bedroom once more, Jared explained, “I wanted to let you know that I’m down to one pair of shorts. Thought you could ask Danneel if she could wash some for me.”  
   
Nodding, Jensen answered, “Of course she’ll wash your shorts for you, baby. That’s what she gets paid for, after all. And you know you can just ask her to do it yourself. She knows that whatever you need from her she’s supposed to do without question; my orders. Come on, let’s get you dressed.” Once he had Jared dressed, Jensen helped him back into the bed. “You need anything else from me right now, baby?”  
   
When Jensen asked if there was anything else he needed, Jared nodded a little sheepishly. “Can you help me get a shirt on?” he asked, biting his lip as he looked at Jensen. Normally, he just went without a shirt, but today Megan was coming over and he didn’t like to be exposed while she was here. “Megan’s coming over today and I don’t want to be…you know, shirtless.”  
   
It was cute that Jared was all self-conscious about his sister seeing him without a shirt on in Jensen’s opinion. Nevertheless, he nodded, standing and walking over to the drawer he kept Jared’s things in. “Button down –shirt okay?” he asked as he grabbed the shirt and showed it to Jared. “I mean, it’ll be easier to get on because you won’t have to move your arm too much.”  
   
Jared nodded when Jensen asked if a button down was all right. “Yeah, that’s fine.” He gently pushed himself forward, closer to Jensen as the older male walked back to the bed. It hurt a little as Jensen helped him with his shirt, but Jensen was being as gentle as he could possibly be and Jared knew that. “Thank you,” he smiled when Jensen pulled back, relaxing against the headboard once more.  
   
“You’re welcome,” Jensen answered with a smile of his own. Gently, he cupped Jared’s cheek, thumb rubbing softly against Jared’s cheek bone. “I have to head down to the station now. They got Tom and I want to be there when they book his ass. Anything else I can do for you before I head out?”  
   
Slowly, Jared shook his head, giving Jensen a soft smile. He still didn’t remember anything about that night, and he could tell Josh was losing hope that he would ever remember, but he had seen the video tape that had pissed Jensen off, so he got the gist of what happened. “No, I’m good,” he answered with a small nod. “You’re not going to be here when Josh comes over?”  
   
He shrugged when Jared asked if he was going to be here when Josh came over. “I might be home by then. If I’m not, just have him call me, okay? Or you could have him hang out with you and Megan until I get back. Whichever you want to do if fine with me.”  
   
Again, Jared nodded when Jensen told him he might be back. “All right, I’ll do that. Megan should be here soon, so at least I won’t have to be here alone long.” He didn’t really like being alone. Ever since Jensen had him moved in, he was used to almost always having the older male around him, which he sort of liked now that he was starting to get a little closer to Jensen.   
   
Before he knew what he was doing, Jensen leaned in and kissed Jared’s forehead. When he did realize what he’d done, he quickly pulled back, eyes slightly wider than normal as he licked his lips. “Sorry,” he mumbled, shaking his head. “I didn’t mean to-- I don’t know what I was thinking.”  
   
Feeling Jensen’s lips against his forehead, Jared closed his eyes slowly. He didn’t mind that Jensen had kissed him, so when Jensen pulled back and looked like he had done something terrible before he started apologizing, Jared shook his head. “It’s okay,” he assured him with a small shrug of his shoulders. “You don’t have to apologize. I don’t care if you kiss my forehead.”  
   
Jensen smiled softly at Jared when he told him he didn’t care if he kissed his forehead. “Okay,” he breathed, smile widening as he pushed himself away from the bed, knowing if he didn’t leave now, there was a chance he was going to press his luck too far and upset Jared. “I’ll be back as soon as I can be. Have fun with Megan.” With that, Jensen left the house, climbing into his car and heading down to the police station.  
   
**~~**  
   
“You’re an idiot. Jensen is rich and he wants to share that wealth with you, for some reason. And you’re not even taking advantage of it! I mean, look at you! You’re still walking around in hand me down clothes that look like you picked up in a dumpster and acting like you don’t want to be with him! Maybe you should step aside and let me handle Jensen. We were good together! People like you make me sick.”   
   
Turning off the video tape, Chris crossed his arms over his chest, smiling at the wide eyed expression on Tom’s face. “Remember that?’ he asked with a smug smile on his face. “Now, as I recall, you claimed that Jared slipped on the wet road while you were getting into your car.” Shaking his head, he continued, “That didn’t look like he slipped.”  
   
He uncrossed his arms before he leaned over the table, pressing his palms flat against the surface. “Care to revise your story, Tom? Lying about it will only get you in more trouble than you already are. Attempted murder charges are heavy business; you don’t want to make it worse, right?”  
   
Tom frowned as he looked up at Chris. “Fine, I pushed him. So what? It isn’t like he deserves to be alive right now! He stole Jensen from me for purely selfish reasons! And he’s not even taking advantage of Jensen! We could have had a great life together and then Jared got in the way!”  
   
Unable to hear any more without stepping in, Jensen pushed his way into the room, grabbing Tom by the collar and hoisting him out of his chair before he slammed him into a wall. “You’re a sick fucker,” he spat. “Jared means more to me than you ever could. And he didn’t steal me from you. I gave you up. Once was enough for me and there was never a future for us. I told you that the morning after when you were trying to cuddle with me.”  
   
When Jensen came in, Tom smiled, thinking that Jensen was here to get him out of this so they could be together finally. “Jensen, I knew you would come here for me,” he smiled. However, when Jensen shoved him into the wall and started screaming at him, Tom frowned. “You can’t actually tell me that you want to be with that pathetic little puke! Jensen, we’re meant to be together. Jared’s a pansy who doesn’t know what’s good for him. I’ve seen the way he acts around you and he doesn’t love you like I can! Like I do, Jen!”  
   
As Tom spoke about his feelings for him and how he thought about Jared, Jensen glared at him. He shoved him harder into the wall before he explained, “Get this through your head Welling, Jared and I love each other. We don’t jus have sex like you and I did, we make love.” Sure, he may have been embellishing a little, but he didn’t care. This prick needed to see just how much he loved Jared and that there was never a chance for them. “I’m going to ask him to marry me and we’re going to live out the fairy tale. You’re going to prison for trying to kill my lover!”  
   
Angrily, Jensen released Tom, shaking his head as he backed up. “There’s nothing you can say to get yourself out of this one, Welling. You’re going to jail for a very long time.” Shrugging, he added, “But don’t get too bent out of shape about it. I arranged for you to have a nice big sugar daddy in there with you. Just be nice to him and there won’t be a problem; no need to thank me.”  
   
With that, Jensen walked out of the room, Chris following behind, leaving the officers in the room to take care of Tom. They could hear the other male screaming about how he and Jensen were meant for one another and there was nothing going to stand in his way of getting to Jensen. He even threatened to hurt Jared when he got out, which had Jensen almost going back in, but Chris held him back because it wasn’t worth it. “Arranged for him to have a sugar daddy?” Chris asked with a smile. “Why Jensen, aren’t you just number one on the list of nice guys this year?” He laughed when all he received in answer was a mock glare from his best friend. “Speaking of nice guys, how are you and Jared?”  
   
“We’re fine,” Jensen answered with a smirk. “I’m sure you don’t want all of the gory details. And even if you do, I’m not telling you.” Grabbing his jacket, he started to pull it on, smiling at Chris as he was glared at. “I have to get back to the house. Josh might still be there and I want to talk to him about Jared’s recovery.” Rolling his eyes, he mumbled, “Fine, call me tomorrow and I’ll tell you all the gory details.”  
   
Smiling, Chris nodded. “All right, I will call you for those details. Now get back home to the love of your life before your brother leaves.” He barely dodged the hand that came flying at him, not quite missing it as it connected with his arm. “Ow, you’re a jerk,” he complained, slapping Jensen’s shoulder as the older male walked out of the station.


	11. Chapter Eleven

“Do you love him?” Megan asked as she formed the word fetal one the Scrabble board. She wasn’t all that surprised to learn that Jared thought he had feelings for Jensen because she had seen the shift in his behavior lately. The way her brother’s face would light up when Jensen walked into the room and the way he would smile at the older male and for minutes after he’d left the room.  
   
She was a little worried that Jensen was going to hurt Jared again, but from the conversation they’d just had and the drastic change in Jensen’s behavior that she’d seen for herself, Megan was about eighty nine percent sure that Jensen wouldn’t hurt her brother again. But if he did, then she was going to make sure he paid for it.  
   
Giving a one-shouldered shrug, Jared answered, “I don’t know for sure. I mean, we’ve definitely grown closer over the last two months but love is a strong word and I don’t want to say I love him until I am absolutely sure.” Biting his lip, he looked up at his sister. “Do you think I should tell him that I’m developing feelings for him, or wait until I know it’s love, if that ever happens?”  
   
Megan gave Jared a small frown when he asked for her advice on what he should do. “I think you should at least wait to see if it develops into something more by the time you can walk again. That way if you and Jensen want to have a little quality time, if you know what I mean, he won’t have to worry about hurting you.”  
   
At the mention of him and Jensen spending some quality time together from his sister nonetheless, Jared’s eyes widened and his cheeks turned red. “Megan,” Jared whined with a shake of his head. “I’d rather not talk about my personal life with you, if you don’t mind. You know I don’t like to talk about…sex while you’re around. It’s a personal thing.”  
   
Rolling her eyes, Megan chuckled, “Oh come on Jared. You can’t stay a blushing virgin forever.” Jared hadn’t told Megan that part of the contract with Jensen was sex, so as far as she knew, Jared was sticking to his virgin status. Of course, Jared figured he would have to talk to Megan about his sex life soon because she seemed to always be asking about it.  
   
Jared shook his head when Megan told him he couldn’t stay a blushing virgin forever. “I know I can’t. But that doesn’t mean I have to talk to my little sister about it.” Again, color rose to his cheeks before he mumbled, “It’s embarrassing.”  
   
Before Megan could protest what Jared had argued, there was a knock at the door, causing the Padalecki siblings to turn their attention towards the new arrival. Jared smiled when he saw Josh standing there. “Hey Josh, come on in. Megan and I were just playing some Scrabble.” His smile widened when Josh came in and stood by the bed, ready to check the younger male’s casts. “You wanna play?”  
   
A small chuckle escaped Josh when Jared asked if he wanted to play Scrabble. “No thanks Jay,” he answered with a shake of his head. “I was never much for Scrabble. I’m more of an Operation kind of guy.” Gesturing towards the bed beside Jared, Josh asked, “May I?” When Jared nodded, Josh took a seat, smiling at Megan in greeting. He then turned his attention back to Jared. “So, how have you been doing? Feeling better? Ready to get these things off?”  
   
“Absolutely,” Jared answered with a wide smile. “I’m definitely ready to get these things off.” He bit his lip as he looked at Josh and wondered if he should tell him that he’d fallen now or wait for Jensen to come back. Finally, he decided to just tell Josh now and get it over with. “Uh, there’s something I should tell you. Earlier today, I got out of bed without Jensen knowing and tried to walk, or hobble, to the bathroom by myself. I fell when someone closed a door and instinct told me to catch myself, so I tried. Jensen took a look at my wrist, but he said I should tell you about it, anyway.”  
   
As Jared told Josh what happened, the older male frowned. “Well, I’m glad you told me,” he assured him with a nod. “I am your doctor and I need to know things like that. Can I see your wrist?” When Jared placed the arm in Josh’s hands, the first thing he did was check the cast. Seeing that there were no breaks in the plaster, he smiled slightly. “Well, there’s nothing wrong with the cast, so it probably kept your bone safe from further injury. I’ll run X-rays once we get this off and if there was any damage, I’ll just put the cast back on for a few more weeks.”  
   
When Jared admitted that he’d fallen, Megan opened her mouth to ask why she hadn’t been informed about this sooner, but she quickly snapped it closed and waited for Josh to finish. Once he did, Megan immediately asked, “Why didn’t you tell me you tripped?”  
   
“I didn’t want you to be worried about me,” Jared answered his sister. “I know how you are and I’m fine. There’s nothing to worry about.” Turning his attention to josh, he asked, “So when can I get these off?”  
   
Megan scoffed when Jared told her he knew how she could be. “Excuse me if I worry about my brother. I didn’t know that was a crime.”  
   
He smiled at his little sister as he listened to Josh explaining about when the casts could come off. It wasn’t a crime to worry, which he was letting her know, but there was such a thing as worrying too much; Megan was definitely guilty of doing that.  
   
Smiling widely, Josh answered, “I was thinking tomorrow. Maybe Jen can bring you down to the hospital around nine tomorrow and I can have you out of there by nine thirty. Oh and I already have physical therapy set up for you. Her name’s Sophia, I think she might actually be a good friend of yours, Megan.”  
   
At the mention of Sophia being Jared’s physical therapist, Megan smiled. “Yes, she is one of my best friends. I didn’t know she worked in the hospital now, though. The last I heard, she was at some Physical Therapy Lounge down the road from her house.”  
   
“She just transferred,” Josh explained with a smile. “She’s doing remarkably well here and she told me working with Jared will be a walk in the park. I have full confidence that he’ll be back to normal in no time.”  
   
It was a relief to know that he was going to be well taken care of. There was nothing more frightening than inadequate care when he was injured. “Thanks Josh,” Jared smiled. “I really appreciate everything you’ve done to help me out these past few months.”  
   
Gently, Josh pat Jared on his good shoulder. “Anything to help out Jensen’s boyfriend,” he smiled. “You’re an all right guy, Jay. My brother’s lucky to have you.”  
   
Walking into the room, Jensen smiled. “You have no idea,” he assured his brother, crawling onto the bed with Jared. “Hey baby, good news; Tom is behind bars where he can never hurt you again. Got him with attempted murder. Or, we will once it goes to trial. He even confessed.” As he remembered Tom’s words, Jensen frowned. “Eh, he might be on his way to a psych ward, but still behind bars where he can’t hurt you.”  
   
“That’s great,” Jared smiled. “Did he tell you guys why he pushed me?” He still couldn’t remember anything from the night of the accident, and he hadn’t seen the video since the sound was fleshed out, so he had no idea why Tom had tried to kill him.  
   
Jensen nodded in answer. “Yeah, he said it was because you were with me. Apparently, he’s got this twisted little fantasy where he and I are married and living happily ever after and you were ruining it for him. So he tried to get you out of the picture permanently.”  
   
Before Jared could say anything, josh quickly stood. He could see that Jared was upset by this new information and he didn’t want to get in the middle of it; he supposed it was best to just let Jared and Jensen deal with it alone. “Well, I have to get going. I have a few patients I still have to check up on back at the hospital.” Smiling, at Jared, he said, “I’ll see you tomorrow at nine. You can fill Jenny in.” With that, he was out the door.   
   
Looking at Jared, Jensen asked, “Fill me in on what?” He hadn’t thought he would have missed anything important while he was gone, but he supposed that he was wrong.  
   
“Josh said the casts can come off tomorrow,” Jared answered with a smile. “And he has a physical therapist all set up for me so I can get right to that and start getting back on my feet.”  
   
He knew he should have been happier for Jared, but he just couldn’t. Sure, he was acting all happy for the younger male, but deep down, he was hurting. If Jared was all better, then he was going to be leaving. That was the last thing Jensen wanted. Nevertheless, Jensen smiled widely before he said, “That’s great baby! I can only imagine how happy you’ll be once they’re off.” Happy without Jensen.  
   
Megan could see right through Jensen when he put on that fake happy face. She knew Jensen didn’t want Jared to leave and that was exactly what the older male thought was going to happen. Of course, she knew differently; Jared was in love with Jensen now. And Jared may not have been able to see it yet, but Megan sure as hell did. Right now, they needed a little alone time she figured, so she quickly stood. “Look at the time, my gosh! I have plans with Sophia and Sandy tonight! I almost forgot!” she kissed Jared’s cheek then waved goodbye to Jensen before she was also out of the room.  
   
When Megan told them she had to leave, Jared frowned. “But…o-okay.” It seemed like she was in a hurry so she he didn’t want to keep her there. Once she was out the door, Jared looked up at Jensen. “You wanna take over for Megan?” he asked, smiling softly.  
   
A wide smile broke out on Jensen’s face when Jared asked him to play Scrabble. Jared only played Scrabble with people he liked, so this must have meant there was at least friendship in their future; maybe more. He sure hoped so. “Yeah, I’ll play. But I’m warning you, I’m really good at this game so be prepared to get beat.”  
   
So maybe Jensen had been fibbing when he told Jared he was good at the game. He lost 250 to 100, but it had still been more fun than he could remember having in a really long time.  
   
**~~**  
   
Three Months Later   
   
“You’ve done really well here the past few months Jared,” Sophia smiled, looking over her patient’s chart. “According to the schedule, you have one more appointment, but I don’t think you need to come to it. You’re fine as far as I can tell; back to one hundred percent finally. Megan will be so happy.”  
   
Smiling, Jared nodded. “Megan will be so happy? What about me. I’m super happy to finally be back to normal. I can get back to my old life and just forget that any of this had ever happened. Tom’s behind bars, after all so there’s nothing holding me back, right?”  
   
At the mention of going back to his old life and forgetting this ever happened, Sophia frowned. “But, I thought you wanted to be with Jensen now that you’ve gotten to know him a little better. Weren’t you two actually getting along?”  
   
When Sophia asked about him and Jensen, Jared’s eyes widened. “Who told you that?” As if he even had to ask. Of course it had to have been Megan because she was the only one he had told. He should have known Sophia and Sandy would know by the end of the night. Figuring it was a lost cause, Jared merely nodded. “Well, yeah I do. But it will still be nice to be able to do little things again like walk to the bathroom and take a shower.”  
   
Sophia nodded, understanding what Jared meant. She had broken her ankle a few years back and she remembered just what it felt like to be immobile and needing help for every little thing. “Well, have you told him that you’re planning on staying with him yet? I mean, it’s almost Christmas and that would be the perfect gift, I think.” Smiling, she bumped shoulders with Jared. “I can tell that he really likes you.”  
   
His eyes met Sophia’s before he asked, “Really? What gave it away? Him calling me baby every time he talks to me? Or maybe it was the kissing in public that helped you figure it out.” He chuckled when the woman slapped his arm playfully and told him to shut up. “No, to answer your question, I haven’t told him yet. I’m waiting for the right moment and the right way to do it, but I just haven’t figured it out yet.”  
   
“Do you want some help?” Sophia asked with a wide grin. “I mean, I may not look it, but I can be a lot of help in this situation. I used to have this friend once who dealt with the right words, right moment kind of thing.” Looking at the clock, she smiled. “My shift is over right now with you being the last patient of the day, so if you want, we can hang out a little while. Just call Jensen and tell him I’ll be bringing you home later, if you want.”  
   
Jared bit his lip as he thought about the offer for a few minutes. He did need some help and there was no harm in enlisting Sophia as that helper. After all, Megan had just told him to flat out tell Jensen how he felt and Jared surely didn’t want to do that. Finally, he nodded, smiling softly. “Yeah, I’ll call him and let him know.”  
   
Once Jared had informed Jensen that he was going to hang out with Sophia a little while, he grabbed his jacket and was off to wherever the hell Sophia was taking them. He still didn’t have his car because it would have been pointless to have it while he couldn’t drive it. So, his car was parked in Jensen’s garage just waiting to be taken out for a drive. “So, where did you say we were going again?” he asked as he turned the radio down.  
   
A small glare was shot towards Jared when he turned down the radio before Sophia just let the matter drop. After all, talking was probably better than listening to the radio. “There’s this little café where you can get muffins and coffee down the street from my old apartment. I used to go there every morning before work when I still lived there; that’s where I’m taking you because the muffins are to die for. And you look like you could use a coffee.”  
   
Chuckling, Jared agreed. “Yeah, definitely. I’ve had a rough couple of months. You kicked my ass in therapy. Seriously, half of the time I had to go home and have Jensen give me a massage just to ease the pain.”  
   
“Oh well, you’re welcome,” Sophia replied with a wide grin. “I’m sure you just loved Jensen having his hands all over you like that, huh?” She knew she wouldn’t mind Jensen having his hands all over her. And if Jared didn’t have him, she would have definitely been going after him.   
   
Color rose to Jared’s cheeks when Sophia told him he probably loved it when Jensen ran his hands over his body. Back when this had all started, he hated the very thought of Jensen touching him, but now he liked it. Hell, he even loved it. Every chance he got, he made up an excuse to have Jensen touch him. Of course, he didn’t over use the idea because he didn’t want to give away his feelings that soon. “So what? Can I not like having Jensen touch me? He seemed to be okay with it.”  
   
Well, except that one time when he had gotten a little too excited about being able to touch Jared. Of course, that had been mostly Jared’s fault because he kept making moaning noises and pressing himself back against Jensen’s body, so Jensen couldn’t really be blamed for that. Jared had only been teasing him, and it was really fun otherwise he would have stopped when he realized Jensen was getting hard; not waited until after Jensen was aching to be touched so the older male had to rush into the bathroom and relieve himself.  
   
Smiling, Sophia shook her head. “I never said you couldn’t like it. I’m glad you do like it.” Patting Jared’s leg, Sophia explained, “I’ve seen how happy you’ve been these past few months getting to know Jensen and growing closer together. I’m really happy for you and I hope he doesn’t screw it up.”  
   
Slowly, Jared nodded, bottom lip disappearing between straight white teeth. “Yeah, me too,” he answered, concern clear in his voice. But he didn’t want to talk about that right now. He had better things to do; like figure out how to tell Jensen that he had fallen for him.   
   
When they pulled into the parking lot, Jared got out of the car and headed in, holding the door open for Sophia. “You can go order,” he suggested. “I’ll get us a table. Just order whatever you think I’ll like.” Really, he would eat practically anything, so Sophia didn’t have to think too hard on that one. While she ordered, he snagged the corner booth in the back with a nice view of the square. This was a nice neighborhood and he liked to look at the scenery every now and then.  
   
After ordering, Sophia found Jared and joined him at the table. “I got you a pecan peanut butter one,” she explained with a smile. “It’s my favorite and I know you’ll eat just about anything, so let’s hope you like it. And the coffee’s French vanilla, so hope you like too.” Taking a sip of her hazelnut coffee, Sophia closed her eyes as she let out a content smile. “I miss this place for breakfast every morning.”  
   
“You can always go back to your routine,” Jared assured her with a smile. “You’d just have to wake up a little earlier so you can get to work on time, I suppose.” He tried his muffin first and then washed it down with a swig of his coffee. “Mm…you’re right, this place is good. I might have to start coming here more often now.”  
   
Sophia smiled widely before answering, “I told you so. You should never doubt me. I’ve lived here my whole life and I know this neighborhood like the back of my hand.” Sighing, she shrugged gently before she mused, “Hopefully one day I can know my new neighborhood like I know this one. It would make things so much easier.”  
   
A smile came to Jared’s face before he pat Sophia on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, you will. I know you and I know when you put your mind to something, you do it.” His smile widened when she smiled at him. “So, what do you have in the category of ideas on how to break the news to Jensen?”  
   
Biting her lip, Sophia put on her thinking cap, looking out the window because it helped her think. “Give me a minute; I’ll come up with something.” Outside the window, in the display window in the store across the street, Sophia got her answer. Smiling widely, she grabbed Jared’s hand before she closed the lid to the muffins and grabbed her coffee. “Come on, I know exactly how you’re going to break the news to Jensen.”  
   
When Sophia grabbed him and started to all but drag him out of the café, Jared frowned. “Where are we going? We just got here,” he complained, wanting to finish his muffin and coffee in the warm store, not in the freezing snow.  
   
His question was answered when Sophia pulled him into the store across the street and thrust an article of clothing in his arms. “Go try that on for me. I want to see if it looks as good on you as it did in my head.”  
   
After being with Jensen for a month and having to do things like this all of the time, Jared didn’t ask any questions; he just pulled the fabric over his body, liking how warm it felt. “I like it. It’s nice and warm. But how is this going to help me?”  
   
As she snatched the article of clothing out of Jared’s hand and led him to the check-out, Sophia answered, “You’ll understand in the car when I explain exactly what you’re going to do with this.” Smiling, she assured him. “Trust me; he’s going to love it!”  
   
**~~**  
   
Jared sighed as he walked into Jensen’s house, the package Sophia had insisted he buy tucked firmly under his arm. As soon as he closed the door, he heard Jensen yell, “Hey baby how was the day out with Sophia? Did you have fun?”  
   
Following Jensen’s voice, Jared answered, “Yeah, it was a lot of fun. She took me to this little café with the best muffins and coffee you will ever taste. I would definitely recommend it.” When he finally found Jensen in the kitchen, his eyes widened. “You’re cooking? I didn’t know you cooked. “  
   
A wide smile came to Jensen’s face at the undiluted surprise on Jared’s face when he saw him cooking. “Samantha’s husband wanted to take her out to dinner for Christmas Eve because he burnt their dinner when he fell asleep, so I gave her the night off.” He took the lid off one of the pots and slowly stirred its contents. “Hope you like spaghetti. Garlic bread’s in the oven and dinner should be ready in a little while. So, why don’t you go ahead and put that bag in the room and I’ll bring dinner in when it’s ready.”  
   
“Uh, sure,” Jared answered with a small nod. “But Sophia’s out in the living room waiting for you. She wants to talk to you about my therapy schedule and the charts, so you might want to go see her.”  
   
Once Jensen was out of the kitchen, Jared quickly stepped in and grabbed the whipped cream and some chocolate sauce. He stuffed both items into his bag before he headed back to the room. Waiting until after dinner to tell Jensen what he had been waiting for the right moment to spill sounded like a good idea to him, so he stuffed the bag into the closet before he settled down on the bed and waited for Jensen.   
   
About ten minutes later, the older male was in the room, two big bowls of steaming spaghetti with garlic toast and two beers in his hands. “All right, this is gonna be hot, so pull the blankets over your legs,” he instructed as he handed Jared one bowl and a beer.  
   
Jared did as he was told before he grabbed the bowl when Jensen handed it to him. The older male hadn’t been lying when he said it was hot! “Ow,” Jared hissed as he sat it down on his legs, glad that his hands were finally getting a break. “You weren’t kidding when you said it was hot!”  
   
Chuckling, Jensen crawled onto the bed beside Jared, pulling the blankets up over his legs much like he instructed Jared to do. He then placed the spaghetti on his legs and his beer on the table beside him. “So, how was therapy today?” he asked, grabbing his garlic toast and taking a large bite. “Sophia told me that you didn’t have to go back tomorrow, which is good. I’m sure Josh will be happy that he doesn’t have to pay Sophia for Christmas day.”  
   
It was true, Jared was sure. And he was also pretty sure Sophia was glad she wouldn’t have to work on Christmas day. “How did you even get Josh to agree to let me have an appointment on Christmas? Usually physical therapists are off that day.”  
   
Again, Jensen smiled widely, the skin at the corner of his eyes crinkling before he answered, “You’re my boyfriend as far as they know baby. Of course I can pull some strings and get you an appointment on a holiday.” Taking another bite of his food, Jensen smirked. “So, Sophia told me you didn’t have to go to the last session because you were doing so well. You’re all better now baby; how does it feel?”  
   
“It feels great,” Jared assured Jensen with a nod and a smile. His dimples were out in full force now and he just couldn’t hold back his excitement at how wonderful it felt to be back at one hundred percent. “I feel like I’ve been hurt forever and I can’t wait to finally start doing things on my own again. I can actually shower without having you hold me up now, are you realizing that?!” Not that Jensen holding him up in the shower had been a bad thing. Actually, Jared had kind of liked it.  
   
Slowly, Jensen nodded, still trying to keep up the happy façade for Jared. He knew this was an exciting time for the younger male, but he didn’t think it was all that great. Now Jared was better and he was going to be leaving Jensen for good. Well, maybe not for good because they had been growing closer and closer each day, but definitely he wouldn’t be living here and Jensen probably wouldn’t see him as much as he liked. “I’m definitely realizing it.”  
   
Once they were finished with dinner, Jensen grabbed the remote, only to frown when Jared snatched it out of his hands. “Jensen, don’t you think you should load the dishwasher? Samantha probably doesn’t want to come back to a messy kitchen because Jensen can’t clean anything up.”  
   
Jensen shook his head when Jared told him to load the dishwasher. “Samantha isn’t coming back until the twenty sixth. I’ll just clean them up later. Besides, they all have the day off tomorrow so we don’t have to worry about anything. We can just relax now and clean later.”  
   
Biting his lip, Jared shook his head. “No, you should do it now. You won’t want to get up later and then it won’t get done. And tomorrow you’re having company over, right? What would they think if your kitchen is a mess?”  
   
Again, Jensen shook his head. “No one’s going to be coming over here. I always go over to everyone else’s house. They don’t like the way I have my house set up because I let my workers go home for the holiday and then they might have to clean something themselves. Well, except Josh, he comes here, but not for long.”  
   
The excuses Jensen was giving him were all pretty good ones. But he knew there was no way he was going to let Jensen off the hook. He needed to get the older male out of the room so he could put his plan into action. Sighing, he gave a soft, careless shrug. “Fine, do whatever you want. I was just thinking that if you did the dishwasher, I might think about kissing you goodnight. A willing kiss on the lips from me would be your reward. And there may or may not be tongue if you do it.”  
   
When Jared said he was going to kiss him if he loaded the dishwasher, Jensen’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?” he asked, still unable to completely believe the younger male was going to do this. However, when Jared nodded, Jensen was off the bed and heading out the door. “You better kiss me for this,” he warned playfully before he disappeared from the doorway.  
   
As soon as Jensen was out of the room, Jared quickly closed the door and locked it just in case Jensen came back early. He then moved to the closet and pulled out the box containing Jensen’s ‘present.’ Really, he didn’t know if it qualified as a present, but Sophia said it was going to be the best Christmas gift ever, so he was going with it. Jared stripped out of his clothing as fast as he possibly could before he pulled the short-ish leather trench coat over his naked form.   
   
Now that he was actually in the outfit, he felt kind of silly, but Sophia had assured him this would be great, so he was just going to have to trust her. Once he was a little more comfortable with the outfit he was wearing, he walked back over to the door and opened it, positioning his body just behind the door so that when Jensen came back in, he could easily close the door and surprise Jensen with the promised kiss before he saw his present.  
   
“All right,” Jensen smiled as he rubbed his hands together, walking back into his bedroom. “The dishwasher is loaded and the counters and stove even got wiped down. So, where’s that kiss I was bribed with?” Seeing that Jared wasn’t on the bed anymore, Jensen frowned. “Jared? Where’d you go?”  
   
Jensen jumped slightly when the door slammed shut, whirling around to see who had closed it. His eyes widened when he saw Jared walking towards him wearing what seemed to be a trench coat which was shrunk in the dryer and nothing else. But before he could say anything, Jared’s lips were sealed over his moments before Jared’s tongue pressed into his mouth to tangle with Jensen’s own tongue.  
   
They parted only when they both felt the burning desire for oxygen; when they both absolutely had to part. “There’s that kiss you wanted,” Jared panted softly, fingers still carding through Jensen’s short cropped hair. In his mind, he was desperately hoping that he was doing the right thing here and Jensen didn’t make fun of him for the outfit.   
   
Slowly, Jensen nodded, mind still reeling after that amazing kiss. He was still trying to understand what was going on, and no theories were coming to him that didn’t sound absolutely ridiculous. There was no way Jared could actually want to be with him, right? Not after everything he had done to him. That was a messed up fantasy world Jensen was living in, right? “Wh-What are you doing?” he asked, trying to get to the bottom of this.  
   
When Jensen asked him what he was doing, Jared bit his lip. “Well, I know it’s a day early, but this is your Christmas present. I’ve been thinking of how to tell you this for a really long time now. And this just seems like the right moment. The outfit was Sophia’s idea, so if you don’t like that, it’s her fault, but I wanted to let you know that…if it’s okay with you, I’d like to stay here with you.”  
   
Hearing Jared tell him that he wanted to stay here with him made Jensen’s heart swell and emotion run high within him. “Are you kidding? Of course it’s okay with me. I want you here. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.” Eyes raking over Jared, he smiled before he said, “And I like the outfit. Gonna have to send Sophia a really nice Christmas present.”  
   
A wide smile broke out on Jared’s face when Jensen told him he still wanted him to be here and he liked the outfit. “Good. But don’t get too used to it,” Jared warned, playing with the straps. “Don’t you want to open your present?”  
   
“Oh God yes,” Jensen answered, taking the straps from Jared’s hands and tugging them open before he pulled Jared’s coat open, almost salivating at the sight before him; Jared was already hard as a rock which hadn’t been something Jensen had ever gotten to admire fully because he had been working so hard to make Jared that way. He didn’t know when Jared’s feelings had changed, but he was glad they did.  
   
He nodded appreciatively as his eyes finally met and locked with Jared’s once more. “Me likey,” he assured him with a wide, somewhat wolfish grin. “Am I allowed to touch?” Another wide smile came to his face when Jared nodded, lip caught between his teeth like he was nervous about something. Jensen loved it when he looked like that. Slowly, he reached down, wrapping his hand around Jared’s shaft as his lips locked with the younger male’s once more, Jensen walking them backwards until Jared’s back pressed up against the wall.  
   
Jared’s eyes slid closed slowly when Jensen’s hand wrapped around the base of his cock, a low moan tearing from the back of Jared’s throat only to be swallowed up in the kiss. He almost tripped once as Jensen backed them into the wall, but he managed to keep his footing luckily; that would have been embarrassing, he was sure. His arms wrapped around Jensen’s neck as the kiss continued, hands roaming over whatever part of Jensen he could reach. “You-You should be naked too,” he mumbled with a nod once the kiss broke, hands moving to push at Jensen’s T-shirt.   
   
Thankfully, Jensen got the idea and gave Jared a hand at taking his clothes off because Jared wasn’t sure if he was lucid enough to do it alone. His brain was only on one thing and that was having Jensen for real for the first time since that drunken fiasco. He had been too stubborn all of those times in between to realize that he liked what Jensen was doing to him; only worried about what Misha would think and how Misha would feel if he found out about the dirty things Jared let Jensen do to him late at night. Or early in the morning sometimes; even in the afternoon in some cases. Whenever Jensen wanted it, really.  
   
Once Jared had his lover naked, he pushed him backwards, getting the older male away from him for a moment before he walked away from the wall and pushed Jensen again, getting him onto the bed. He crawled on top of Jensen when the older male fell onto his back on the mattress, smiling down at him as he shed his coat the rest of the way. “There’s chocolate sauce and whipped cream in the bag if you want to use them,” he informed Jensen, knowing the last time Jensen had put food all over him, Jensen had almost cum just looking at him.  
   
Although the offer was tempting, Jensen shook his head. “Not this time baby,” he answered, hands running up Jared’s sides. “Just want you this time. But keep that idea of food. We might not be done after just the one time because you look so fucking hot right now, baby.” Lifting his upper body off the mattress, Jensen crushed his lips against Jared’s as his hands fisted in the younger male’s longish hair. As the kiss continued, Jensen started to lie back down, pulling Jared with him, forcing the younger male to press his hands against the mattress so he wasn’t crushing Jensen. “You wanna stay there, or you want to lie down?”  
   
Nodding, Jared answered, “Wanna stay here. Never got to ride you before. I want to try it that way and see how it feels. Do you care?” If Jensen didn’t want him to do it that way, of course Jared would switch, but he did want to give this a try.  
   
At the mention of riding him, Jensen moaned, nodding almost frantically. That sounded like the hottest thing he had ever heard; having Jared riding him had been one of the things he’d hoped for before their six months were up and he was going to get his wish it looked like. “Definitely want you to ride me. No complaining on that front.”  
   
Jared smiled when Jensen told him there was no complaining about his plan. “That’s got to be a first,” he teased before he dipped his head and kissed Jensen once more. He was only teasing and Jensen should have known that, so there was no reason to have a conversation about it, right? Jared didn’t think so and he was the one who had the power to start right now and he was going to exercise that ability.  
   
As they continued to kiss, Jared reached into the nightstand where he knew Jensen kept the lube, grabbing the small bottle and squeezing a generous amount of lube into his palm once he’d pulled back from the kiss. Smiling, he ran his fingers through the lube, getting them good and slick before he reached back behind himself and pushed one of his fingers into his hole, opening himself up for what was to come.  
   
After a few moments, Jared added a second finger as he continued to work himself open, seeing that Jensen was getting worked up more and more as he watched him. When he added a third finger, Jared smiled down at his lover. “Are you going to be okay if I touch your cock?” he asked. “Or are you going to blow your load early?”  
   
“Don’t worry about me baby,” Jensen assured him with a slight shake of his head. “Go ahead and touch, just don’t tease. Want you so much right now Jared. Trying so hard to control myself here and be a good boy, but you’re not making it easy.”  
   
Smiling wider, Jared leaned down and crushed his lips against Jensen’s, tongue pushing into the other male’s mouth. He pulled back soon after, pushing up off Jensen’s chest as he pulled his fingers from inside himself and turning at the waist, hand gripping the base of his lover’s shaft before slowly lowering himself down onto him. Soft moans and groans broke form Jared’s throat as he sheathed Jensen inside himself, not stopping until Jensen was buried to the hilt. Once he had Jensen all the way inside him, both of his hands came down to rest against Jensen’s chest as his head fell forward, hair flopping down to cover his face.  
   
It felt so good to be with Jared like this; better than he could have ever imagined. And he had imagined it a lot. But he knew he shouldn’t be surprised by that. Everything that involved Jared was better than he could have possibly imagined.  
   
When Jared had him buried to the hilt, Jensen moaned as his head pressed back against the pillows, watching his lover from beneath heavy lidded eyes. God, if he thought Jared was hot before, seeing him with his hair all in his face just made him so much hotter; it was taking all Jensen had not to thrust up into Jared before the younger male was ready. His hands came up to run up and down Jared’s arms as he mumbled, “You’re so fucking hot, baby. You drive me crazy.”  
   
Feeling Jensen’s hands on him, Jared opened his eyes to mere passion-glazed slits. He was overjoyed that he could drive Jensen crazy, even when he wasn’t really doing anything. Huffing out a soft laugh, Jared replied, “Just wait until we actually get going. Then you’ll really be driven crazy.” Slowly, he gave an experimental thrust backwards, moaning when Jensen’s cock hit his prostate. He was definitely ready now.  
   
“Oh God, are you ready, Jen?” Jared asked, just wanting to check although he was pretty sure he knew the answer to that question. As soon as he received the disbelieving look from his lover followed by the nod, Jared pressed down against Jensen’s chest, using his knees to push off the mattress for the most part, raising himself almost completely off Jensen’s dick before he slid back down.  
   
Moans and groans filled the room as Jared continued to ride Jensen. There was no way he was going to last much longer, having been achingly hard since he thought about having Jensen inside him. And he was setting the pace just right, for both of them if Jensen’s moaning was any indication and Jensen’s cock hitting his prostate with every thrust. Jared was definitely not going to last much longer at this rate. “J-Jen,” he gasped, fingers curling around his lover’s nipples, short blunt nails digging into the flesh. “I’m close.”  
   
The way Jared’s inner muscles were clenching around his achingly hard flesh let Jensen know it wasn’t going to be long before he was cumming inside his lover. His hands on Jared’s hips tightened their grip a little as he moaned in pleasure, his head once again pressing into the pillows. “Yeah, me too baby,” he assured Jared, nodding slightly. “Do it. Cum for me, baby.” One hand moved to grip the base of Jared’s shaft and began to slide along his lover’s length, using the precum oozing from Jared’s slit to help slick the way.  
   
Once Jensen told him to cum and his hand soon followed, Jared was gone. There was nothing he could have done to stop himself from cumming at that moment, even if he knew it would have caused the world to end. His back arched, body tensing and his nipples pebbling as he felt heat pool low in his belly, balls drawing up close to his body before the first ribbon of cum shot from his cock, wetting Jensen’s hand.  
   
As Jared came, his inner muscles clenched even tighter around Jensen’s sensitive cock sheathed inside him and Jensen was gone, giving a shout of pleasure as he came inside his lover. Moans of pleasure spilled from both their throats as they rode out the waves of their pleasure.  
   
Jared barely remembered to roll off Jensen before he collapsed, at the last minute making the turn so that he didn’t fall on top of Jensen and all but crush him. He was panting out his breaths and he could feel Jensen’s cum dripping out of him and wetting his thighs, but he didn’t care. Right now he was completely sated and ready for a good long nap.  
   
“Wow,” Jared panted, turning to look at Jensen when he heard the older male snort out a laugh. He knew what Jensen was laughing at, and he really couldn’t blame him, but that was the only word he could think to describe it.  
   
When Jared turned to face him, Jensen wrapped his arm around him and pressed a kiss to the younger male’s forehead. “Yeah, that was definitely wow. You’re amazing.” He was just as tired as Jared was right now and he was content to just lay here and hold Jared all night. “I’m tired now,” he confessed with a small chuckle.  
   
Nodding, Jared admitted, “Me too. We should get some sleep.” Curling closer to Jensen, arm wrapping around the older male, Jared whispered, “Don’t let go.”  
   
Slowly, Jensen shook his head. “Never,” he answered, pressing a kiss to Jared’s temple before he closed his eyes, falling asleep soon after.


	12. Capter Twelve

Five Months Later   
   
“Jared, come on baby, we’re going to be late for our reservation!” Jensen complained, looking at his watch for about the twelfth time since he left the bedroom. He had been ready twenty minutes ago and Jared had supposed to have been, but he apparently didn’t listen. “This is why I told you to be ready earlier.”  
   
Frowning as he walked out of the room attempting to fasten his tie, Jared assured Jensen, “You never told me to be ready. Not until five minutes ago when you said ‘Hey baby, we have five minutes to get ready.’ I need more time than that.”  
   
Jensen rolled his eyes when Jared argued with him. They may have been getting along now and actually dating for real, but Jared still argued with him on every little thing; like the younger male didn’t want to be wrong, or something. “Fine, can you just hurry it up a little please? You know I don’t like to be late.” The last time they had been late, Jensen got a crappy table and people were staring at them all night because of the position the table was in. He had half a mind to sue that restaurant, but Jared had told him to behave, so he’d listened.  
   
Well, sort of. He hadn’t sued the restaurant, but he had paid a food critic to give the place terrible ratings. Right now, the place was still struggling to make ends meet and Jensen was laughing every time there was an article about the place in the newspaper.  
   
Finally, after what seemed like hours, Jared was ready. They all but ran to the car and Jensen made sure to tell Jeffrey to step on it. “We’re late because Jared’s like a chick half of the time and he needs three hours’ notice before we need to go somewhere.”  
   
Jeffrey laughed when Jensen made fun of Jared, only imagining the bitch face Jensen was getting for that remark. The boys had been getting along very well lately and Jeffrey couldn’t have been happier for them. And the fact that Jensen was a lot happier than he had seen him in a real long time now that Jared was a permanent part of his life was definitely a plus. “All right, I can have you both there on time. Don’t you worry boys.”  
   
With that, Jeffrey was off, driving at illegal speeds to get the boys to the restaurant in time. When they made it there with a few minutes to spare, Jensen smiled, pointing at Jeffrey. “You are getting a raise. You’re awesome.” Jeffrey smiled back at him before Jensen followed Jared into the restaurant.  
   
Once they were seated, they both ordered a beer to drink and then they both ordered a cheeseburger and French fries. “I can’t believe I actually agreed to come here with you,” Jensen complained, looking around the restaurant. “This is a poor man’s place. If my father ever--”  
   
“You’re father’s not here and he won’t ever be coming here Jensen,” Jared reminded him with a smile. “And you agreed to come here because you love me. Plus, this place is one of my favorites. They have the best burgers you’ll ever taste, trust me.” Smiling, Jared took a drink before he ordered, “So sit there and shut that pretty little mouth of yours.”  
   
Rolling his eyes, Jensen answered, “Fine. But I get to pick where we eat next time we go out.” When Jared nodded, Jensen smiled, figuring Jared would have agreed because it was only fair. “So, the best burgers I’ll ever find, huh? Samantha would probably disagree.”  
   
Jared smiled when Jensen brought up Samantha. “Well, she’s probably better than the restaurant, but as far as finding a burger in a restaurant, this is the best place to come. And besides, you eat at fancy restaurants all of the time, Jensen. Live a little; cut loose and have a cheeseburger.”  
   
A small smile graced Jensen’s lips as he looked up at Jared from under his brows. “I am having a cheeseburger. And I bet this will be fast, which is a plus. I don’t want to miss the art show.” Biting his lip, he lifted his head so he and Jared were eye to eye. “Are you sure about this? I know last time we went to one of his shows you got a little upset. And then you got hit by a car, so I don’t want to go if you think you can’t handle it.”  
   
He really wished Jensen hadn’t brought up the last time they had gone out like this before they had really been dating because it only brought back bad memories. Nevertheless, Jared was ready for this. “Yes, I’m positive. Misha and I are both adults and we should be able to act civil towards one another, right? I see no reason why we shouldn’t go there and see him and his work. After all, he is a great artist.”  
   
That had been the exact answer Jensen was hoping for. “Good. I see no reason why the two of you can’t be civil, either. And it’ll be nice to see a good art show again. The last one we went to was terrible. All of those pieces needed to be put in a fireplace and left there. Especially that family portrait of those people from the nineteen thirties. That wasn’t art. It was…garbage.”  
   
It took Jared a while to remember that specific painting, but once he did, he cringed before he nodded. “Yeah, definitely garbage. I mean, they’ll pay anyone to draw a picture these days. Hell, I could probably become an artist with my signature stick figures with the one spike of hair at the top of their heads at that place.”  
   
Laughter erupted from Jensen when Jared spoke. “Hey, go for it baby. I have enough cash to support us if your plan falls through. But it’s always good to try.” Neither of them could hold in their laughter at that statement, Jared nearly falling out of his chair he was laughing so hard.   
   
Soon after, their food was in front of them and both were devouring their burgers as if they were starving. Jensen had finally admitted that stopping for a few minutes to have a cheeseburger and fries was a good plan and he would let Jared take him to places like this more often from now on, which pleased the younger male immensely. He had plans for next time it was his turn to choose to take Jensen to that little café Sophia had introduced him to. But he had promised Jensen he could choose next time, so he was going to have to wait until the time after that.  
   
Of course, if he was really sneaky about it, he was sure he could get Jensen to choose it. But that would be cheating and he didn’t want Jensen’s first time to be there because he had cheated and made him choose that café subtly. He could wait a little while. After all, he had already waited five months; what were a few more weeks?  
   
After dinner, Jensen insisted they order pie and share it because he liked people looking at him with jealous rage in their eyes when they realized Jared was his. Jared didn’t think people actually looked at him like that, but he was done arguing; Jensen never listened to him about it anyway, so there was no point in arguing with the older male. Best to just let Jensen have his fun, he supposed.  
   
Once they were done sharing their piece of pie – cherry, it was Jared’s favorite – they left the restaurant and got Jeffrey to pick them up once more so they could head over to the art show. In all honesty, Jared was a little nervous about it because he didn’t want Jensen to make Misha feel uncomfortable and he sure as hell didn’t want any arguments. Maybe he was crazy to think that he and Misha could be civil after what had happened, but he was still sticking to his hope, dammit. Guess he’d see when they got there.  
   
About twenty minutes later, they arrived at the building and Jared could feel his heart rate kicking up due to his nerves. Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea after all, but Jensen seemed so excited to go inside and Jared didn’t want to ruin this for him. Since he and Jensen had gone to the art show the first time, Jensen had been fascinated with art, so Jared pushed down his fears and headed into the building with Jensen. After all, for all he knew Misha didn’t even attend his own shows anymore. He hadn’t spoken to the man in almost six months so there was a wide time span where Misha could have changed his tactics.  
   
Sensing that Jared was a little nervous, Jensen gave his hand a squeeze, letting him know he was here for him in case he needed him. He may have wanted to come here, but he didn’t want to come that badly. Jared came first and although he had a surprise here for the younger male, he could always wait to give it to him if Jared was uncomfortable. “Are you all right, baby?” he asked softly. “We can leave if you don’t want to be here.”  
   
At the mention of leaving, Jared quickly shook his head. “No it’s okay. I’m fine, Jen. Promise.” It wasn’t a complete lie. Having Jensen here was helping him calm down a bit, which was making it fine. He knew for a fact that if Misha was here and he tried anything, Jensen would take care of him. Not that Jared wanted Misha to get his ass kicked, but if he was fucking with him, then Jared thought Misha deserved it.  
   
The place was packed when they walked in and it was hard to move around, but Jensen was used to this sort of thing so he managed just fine making sure he and Jared didn’t bump into anyone. He got them drinks then, smiling as he handed Jared his drink. “You look really hot in that suit. It makes me want to take you to the bathroom and have my way with you for a little while.”  
   
When Jensen told him what Jared’s suit made him want to do to him, Jared’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped before he playfully swat Jensen in the arm. “Behave mister,” he warned with a slight shake of his head. “You can have me when we get home but not a minute before. Remember the last time we had some fun in the car with Jeffrey? I never want that to happen again.”  
   
Jensen couldn’t help the laughter that erupted from him when Jared reminded him of the time Jeffrey had heard them in the car. It had been priceless and Jared’s face only made it better. “Oh come on, it wasn’t that bad,” he argued with a slight shake of his head. “And Jeffrey knows what he was getting himself into every time he gets into the car with us. He knows how hard it is for me to keep my hands off of you.” As he said the last few sentence, he allowed his hands to trail down Jared’s back, squeezing his firm backside before Jared swat him away again.   
   
“Cut it out,” Jared chuckled as he pushed Jensen’s hands away from him. “I’ll leave you here alone and go off somewhere else if you don’t behave yourself, Jen.” The last time they had been to one of Misha’s shows Jared had done that and it hadn’t turned out so well. Now, he wasn’t too worried about that, but he didn’t want to run the risk of seeing Misha alone if he was going to act like a creep. Of course, Jared didn’t think Misha would do that, but he wasn’t completely sure.  
   
A wide smile cracked out on Jensen’s face before he finally started to behave. This was a nice place after all and there was a chance his father was here so he didn’t want to be seen acting like a sixteen year old virgin trying to woo his girl. “What do you want to look at first? We have until eight to browse and then we’ll be kicked out for closing time.”  
   
Shrugging, Jared answered, “Everything.” He laughed when Jensen gave him a look as if he was telling him he was insane. Eight o’clock was only two hours away and there was so much to look at here; there was absolutely no way they would see everything. “Well, I definitely want to see Misha’s exhibit; kind of curious to see what he’s been up to these past few months.”  
   
Although he would never admit it, Jensen was a little jealous of Misha. After all, the older male had Jared’s heart before Jensen did and he wasn’t so sure that Jared was completely over Misha some of the time. But Jensen was confident in their relationship; Jared loved him now and there was nothing that was going to break them apart. At least he hoped not. Otherwise, his plans for tonight might be a little bit awkward.  
   
Finally, after much debate, Jensen grabbed Jared’s hand and took him to Misha’s exhibit first, wanting to get it over with so he didn’t have this man looming over his head for the rest of the night. He could tell that Jared wasn’t all that pleased they were going there first, but Jensen didn’t much care. If Jared was worried about something, it was better to get that out of the way too so he didn’t have to be worried all night.   
   
He wanted to argue with Jensen some more about going to see Misha’s exhibit first, worried that the older male was going to be mean to him or something, but Jensen wasn’t listening anyway. “You know, I don’t really need to see his exhibit if you don’t want to,” Jared assured Jensen with a small smile. “We can go see someone else’s exhibit first and then if we happen to venture over to Misha’s that would work, too.”  
   
“You said you wanted to see his work,” Jensen reminded him with a shake of his head. “Why are you changing your mind all of a sudden? I don’t get it.” Stopping, Jensen turned so he was facing his lover, hands on Jared’s upper arms, holding him there. “What’s wrong baby?”  
   
Jared frowned softly when Jensen asked him what was wrong before he slowly shook his head. “It’s stupid,” he answered, eyes falling to focus on his shoes. “I don’t want to have confrontation in case Misha is mad about you and me. This isn’t the place and I just don’t want to deal with it. Not when I’m so happy.”  
   
When Jared explained why he was seemingly so upset, Jensen frowned as he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. “Hey, don’t worry about him. If he doesn’t like it that we’re together, he can shove his opinions up his ass because we don’t care, right? I love you and I’m pretty sure you love me and that’s all that matters. Who gives a shit what Misha Collins thinks?”  
   
Smiling, Jared nodded. “You’re right, we don’t care what he thinks,” Jared assured his lover. However, when Jensen said he was pretty sure Jared loved him, the younger male’s smile faded to a frown before he leaned in and kissed Jensen good and proper. “Of course I love you,” he whispered once he pulled back, making sure Jensen knew just how he felt about him.  
   
The kiss took Jensen by surprise; Jared usually wasn’t one for showing affection in public all that often, with the exception of hugs, so he just kind of stood there for a second after the kiss started. But when he realized that Jared was actually kissing him, Jensen kissed the younger male back, arms wrapping around Jared’s back as his fingertips caressed the neatly pressed suit covering Jared’s smooth, sun-kissed skin.   
   
He smiled widely when Jared assured him that he loved him, kissing Jared softly once more. “Good,” Jensen smiled once he pulled away, taking Jared’s hand and leading him to the hallway designated to Misha’s work. Even if he didn’t like the older male, Jensen had to admit that Misha was a good artist. Some of this work he would actually buy for himself, which was saying something since he only bought the best of the best.  
   
Sure enough, almost as soon as they walked into the hall, Misha was there. He spotted Jared and Jensen from the other side of the hall, frowning when he saw them. Megan had told Misha there were circumstances that he didn’t understand with Jensen and Jared and he figured it was because Jensen had money. He had never pictured Jared as the type to date because of money, but he’d learned long ago that people weren’t always what they seemed. Being an artist, it was one of the cardinal rules of life.  
   
For a few moments, he debated on whether or not he even wanted to go over and talk to them, finally deciding that it was probably a good idea. After all, the gallery was all about talking to potential clients and getting them to buy products. Sighing, Misha headed towards the pair, feeling like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. This was going to be the first time he and Jared had spoken since their break up and he had to admit that he was a little bit scared.  
   
When he was behind Jensen and Jared, he put on a smile and greeted, “What brings the two of you here tonight?” He had the element of surprise, and he couldn’t help the small smile that came to his face when Jensen jumped a little. Jared merely turned his head and when they’re eyes met, Misha felt heat flooding through his body at the familiar gaze staring back at him. God, he’d missed Jared so much.  
   
“Do you always sneak up on people or only sometimes?” Jensen snapped, rolling his eyes as he turned to face Misha fully. He could tell that there were some feelings still left from his and Jared’s relationship on Misha’s part, maybe Jared’s too, and he didn’t like it one bit. Maybe this had been a bad idea after all. If he lost Jared to Misha again, Jensen didn’t know what he would do. He didn’t think he could go through that again.   
   
Misha completely ignored Jensen, focusing solely on Jared. “Hey Jay,” he smiled all of those feelings he’d bottled up for almost a year coming back and threatening to break out of him. Of course, he fought them back as best as he could, figuring there was no chance left for them because Jared actually looked happy with Jensen, unlike the last time he’d seen the younger male at one of his shows.  
   
It was weird seeing Misha here and actually hearing his voice again. Last time they’d seen each other, Jared didn’t really pay much attention to Misha’s voice, focused only on Genevieve’s lips as they brushed against Misha’s. “Hi,” he answered with a small smile, feeling Jensen’s body beside him tense. He didn’t know why Jensen was so freaked out, but he could tell that they weren’t going to be able to stay here much longer like this if he wanted Jensen by his side the whole time.   
   
Quickly, Jared turned back to art on the walls. “This is beautiful,” he complimented, pointing to one of the pictures in the display case. It was of the apartment buildings Misha lived in, which usually looked ugly from Jared’s point of view. But Misha saw ugly things and found a way to make them beautiful in his artwork and he succeeded in this painting. “What inspired you to make the apartment buildings so nice?”  
   
Although he knew it was silly, Misha felt a little hurt that Jared had merely said hi and then went back to talking about the art. “Uh, I did that the night you and I…had our fight,” Misha explained. “I guess I thought that if my place was nicer, it would make you come back to me.” He remembered that he’d been up all night doing that. A couple of times he even had to start over because his tears had caused the paint to bleed together.   
   
He tried to refrain, but Jensen just couldn’t stop the roll of his eyes when Misha answered Jared’s question. Of course, Jared seemed to be buying it, but Jensen knew it was just a ploy to get his boyfriend to come back to him. Well, Jensen wasn’t going to have any of that shit while he was around. Jared was with him now and they were happy. End of discussion. Gently, he tugged on Jared’s arm, letting him know he wanted to keep looking. “It was nice seeing you Misha, but Jared and I are going to have to head out now. Lots of things to see and such a short amount of time to see them; you know how it is.”  
   
Eyes narrowing slightly, Misha put his hand on Jared’s forearm, squeezing gently to stop the younger male from moving. “Did Jared say he wanted to leave yet?” Misha asked, hating that Jensen was trying to take Jared away from him again. “I know he has a voice because I just heard it. And just because you want to leave doesn’t mean he wants to.”  
   
Now it was Jensen’s turn to glare at Misha, releasing Jared’s arm. “I can tell when he’s upset and you’re making him uncomfortable. Maybe you should keep your hands off him, Collins.”  
   
Before Misha could retort, Jared yelled, “Hey! I’m not some prize you two can fight over! I’m a human being and I can make my own choices.” Turning his attention towards Jensen, he asked, “Do you want to leave? I know you wanted to look at another display and I won’t stop you. But I’m not done here yet. I’ll meet you somewhere when I am if you don’t want to wait with me.” Jared knew that Jensen didn’t like Misha and he didn’t want to have to stop a fight and risk having his ex and his current boyfriend in a cell for the rest of the night. He gave Jensen a look that assured him he didn’t have to worry and that he only had eyes for him, hoping that it would make Jensen calm down.  
   
The look Jared was giving him did help to calm him down a bit. Really, Jensen should have known that Misha would never take Jared away from him. Ten months ago? Probably; but now Jared loved him and there was no doubt in his mind that Jared was his for good. Slowly, he nodded before he answered, “Yeah, I’ll be over there in Kerr Smith’s hallway when you want me.” Before he left, he kissed Jared’s lips, feeling a sense of victory wash through him when Jared parted his lips in invitation as his tongue traced the seam younger male’s lips. That was something to leave Misha with for sure.  
   
Once Jensen was out of sight, Misha grabbed Jared’s wrist and asked, “What are you thinking?! I can’t believe you’re still with that guy! He’s a total tool.” Misha knew it was a little inappropriate, but he didn’t think Jensen and Jared were a good match. He and Jared had been a perfect match until Jared had ruined it for them.   
   
Frowning, Jared pulled his wrist out of Misha’s grip. “I don’t think that’s your call Misha,” Jared argued. “Jensen is my boyfriend now and I don’t appreciate the way you’re talking about him.” Maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea to stay behind with Misha alone. “He and I are very happy now and if you have a problem with it, you should keep your opinions to yourself.”  
   
“It didn’t take you long to forget about me,” Misha frowned, hoping that the guilt would get Jared to admit the real reason why he was with Jensen right now. No way was he with him just because he thought they were a good pair. Surely Jared wasn’t that stupid.  
   
When Misha spoke, Jared’s eyes widened. He hadn’t forgotten about Misha for months after the break up. Even when he thought at first he was falling for Jensen, it had made him sick because he thought it was too soon to be forgetting about everything he and Misha had. “Like you have room to talk,” Jared answered with a small glare. “Don’t act like you’ve been alone this whole time. I saw you with Genevieve.”  
   
At the mention of Genevieve, Misha frowned. “What are you talking about?” he asked, confusion clear on his face. “What does Genevieve have to do with anything?”  
   
Jared was a little upset that Misha was going to act all innocent in this. He could have at least been a man and admitted that he was with someone else a month after their supposed break up. “I saw you with her at the last show of yours I came to. She had her lips all over you,” Jared explained, apparently refreshing Misha’s memory.  
   
A small smile broke out on Misha’s face when Jared mentioned Genevieve. “You thought that night when you saw us that we were together?” Misha asked, chuckling softly. “We were talking to a producer about a movie he wanted to make starring Genevieve and me as the protagonists. It was inspired by one of my pieces and he just wanted to see how we could interact as a couple. That was all it was. Genevieve and I have never and will never be together romantically.”  
   
To say that he felt like an idiot when Misha explained what had been going on would have been an understatement. Basically, Jared had just gotten upset for no reason at all. Frowning, he shook his head, brushing it off. “Regardless, I didn’t forget about you. There were things that you didn’t understand and that you never will understand, Misha. Just know that it took me months to fully get over you.” Actually, he wasn’t sure that he was completely over him now, but he did know that he loved Jensen very much and planned on being with him for a very long time.  
   
Again, Misha smiled when Jared told him he didn’t forget about him, only to frown when Jared said there were things he didn’t understand. “Well, what are these things that I won’t understand supposedly? I’m not an idiot; I think I can figure it out.”  
   
Shaking his head, Jared answered, “Nothing. It’s not important. All that matters is that I love Jensen and he loves me. It’s the only important thing right now. And I should be getting back to him. Like he said, there’s a lot to see and a limited amount of time to see them.” Smiling softly, Jared whispered, “Bye Misha.”  
   
If he thought that it would have made a difference, Misha might have grabbed Jared and demanded that he be told what had been going on that he didn’t understand. But he knew that Jared was telling the truth about loving Jensen; could see it in the younger male’s loving hazel orbs. Smiling sadly, he answered, “Bye Jay.” He had a feeling they wouldn’t ever be as close as they had been before that mess happened about a year ago, but he could always hope to still be friends, at least. And being friends was better than nothing.  
   
Jared found Jensen right where he said he would be, smiling once he wrapped his arms around the older male. It felt good to be in Jensen’s embrace again and he knew that he had made the right decision by staying with Jensen in that moment.  
   
When Jared wrapped his arms around him, Jensen did the same, pressing a kiss to Jared’s temple. “Hey baby,” he smiled, hugging Jared a little tighter. “Everything okay?” Jared was acting more affectionate in public today than he had when Jensen had been forcing him to act as though they were lovers.   
   
Nodding, Jared pulled back away from Jensen slightly though not breaking their contact. “Yeah, everything’s great. I just…I really love you,” Jared answered before he pressed his face back into the crook of Jensen’s neck, just enjoying the contact they had between them.  
   
A wide smile came to Jensen’s face at Jared’s words. “I love you too baby,” he assured him. “More than I could ever explain.” After a few moments, Jensen pulled back, smiling at Jared. “So, what do you think of this painting here?” he asked, motioning to the work in front of them. “I was thinking about buying it and hanging it on our bedroom wall.”  
   
Although he didn’t really want to pull away, Jared looked at the painting, knowing Jensen didn’t buy anything for the house unless it was top of the line; especially if he was planning on hanging it in their bedroom. His eyes widened when he saw the picture, breath catching in his throat. On a baby blue and sea green background, the words Jared Tristan Padalecki, will you marry me? were written in a deep black with glitter sporadically throughout the letters.   
   
Slowly, his eyes ticked to Jensen when he felt movement beside him, hand covering his mouth at the sight of Jensen down on one knee holding a little black box with a simple silver ring inside. “So, Jared Tristan Padalecki,” Jensen started, smiling at his boyfriend, “what do you say?”  
   
He didn’t even have to think about it, simply dropping to his knees in front of Jensen and crushing his lips against Jensen’s. “Of course the answer’s yes,” he exclaimed before he crushed their lips together once more. If they weren’t in public, Jared was sure that they would be kissing a lot more heavily and there was a chance it would lead to sex, but he was happy just kissing Jensen like this in front of everyone so they knew he was with him and there was nothing ever going to break them up.  
   
Once Jensen could get Jared and himself off the ground, he took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto Jared’s finger. It looked really good there, which made him smile before he pressed his lips against Jared’s once more. “What do you say we get out of here and celebrate?” he whispered huskily into the younger male’s ear, smiling when Jared nodded in agreement.   
   
Neither of the men noticed Misha smiling sadly from behind them as they walked out of the building and got into the car, Jeffrey being the first to congratulate them on their engagement.  
   
**~~**  
   
Six Months Later   
   
“If anyone has any reason why these two should not be joined together in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace,” the priest spoke, looking around the crowd to see if there was anyone with a problem. Seeing nothing, the priest smiled. “I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may kiss your husband.”  
   
Waiting to see if anyone was going to say anything had been the worst part of this wedding. Jared had to squeeze Jensen’s hands so tightly he was surprised the older male hadn’t pulled away from him. But now that it was over, Jared smiled, biting his lip when they were given permission to kiss. He had been thinking about how they were going to kiss for about a week now, talking it over with Jensen almost every day and practicing.   
   
Sure, it sounded silly, but there was a certain amount of tongue Jared thought was appropriate in public and he and Jensen didn’t agree with each other on the matter, so there had been a lot of debate. Of course now it didn’t matter because Jensen was kissing him and Jared was just going with it, lips parting as he felt Jensen’s tongue tracing the seam. His smile was still plastered on his face when the kiss broke.  
   
After the ceremony, they all attended the reception, Jensen making sure he and Jared both held the knife when the cake was cut. And then Jensen of course fed Jared a bite of his cake and vice versa. All in all, Jared and Jensen were very pleased with how well it turned out and that everyone there seemed to be happy for them, including Gerald and Alan. Other people who had showed up to the party were happy for them too; even friends Jared thought would have a heart attack at this. Mike and Danneel were there as well as Sandy and Misha. Sophia was there and both of their families. All in all, it was a nice turn out.   
   
When they had a moment alone, Jensen pulled Jared out of the room and away from everyone still hanging out at the reception, kissing him good and proper, tongue pushing into Jared’s mouth and mapping out the familiar wet heat. “I’ve wanted to do that since we got married,” he smiled.   
   
Chuckling, Jared shook his head. “Is that the only reason you brought me out here?” he asked, although he surely wasn’t complaining. He would kiss Jensen wherever and however he wanted at this moment he was so happy. They were finally married. And they were going to be happy for the rest of their lives, Jared could tell.  
   
Jensen shrugged when Jared asked if kissing him had been the only reason he brought him out here. “Yeah, pretty much,” he answered with a small smile. “We should get back in there, I guess. You know how your sister is when she can’t find you and I. She’ll send a search party out here.” He took Jared’s hand and started to lead him back into the room. “What are you thinking about, baby?”  
   
A small smile came to Jared’s face when Jensen asked what he was thinking about. “Nothing much,” he answered with a slight shrug. “Just trying to figure out which seems better for our honeymoon; Maui or Paris?”  
   
The choices were both great, so Jensen merely shrugged, nipping Jared’s earlobe before he whispered in the younger male’s ear, “How about both?”  
   
Again, Jared smiled, wider this time, dimples denting his cheeks. “Works for me,” he answered as they walked back into the room to join their guests once more.


End file.
